The Disposable Tableware Market | France

1.1 Introduction

The disposable tableware market represents all the plates, cups, napkins, tablecloths, cutlery, etc. for single or ephemeral use, most often plastic-based.

These products are manufactured from two types of polymers which will then be used to estimate the size of this market: polystyrenes (PS) and polypropylenes (PP)

Historically dominated by private labels and the criterion cost the French market for disposable tableware is now at a turning point in the context of: within the framework of the law on the energy transition disposable tableware must be compostable from 2020, and composed of 50% of materials biosourced from 2020 onwards a proportion increased to 60% in 2025 .

To comply with this regulatory obligation while freeing themselves from a brand image degraded by eco-responsible awareness, the players in the disposable tableware market are now focusing on biodegradable, higher value-added products such as wood, which is now a fast-growing market

The other issue in the French disposable tableware market remains recycling in a context of valorisation of the waste products and to reduce their environmental impact. This is particularly the case with plastic cups because, according to the Association santé environnement France (Asef), only 1% of the 4.73 billion plastic cups thrown away each year in France are recycled .

To meet these new challenges, the players in the disposable tableware market in France are committed to a race for industrial innovation and commercial as well as in a questioning of their value chain with a share of the cost associated with greater packaging in the coming years.