Summary of our market study

In 2020, the waste management market in France showed relatively stable trends, marked by a slight drop in sales, down 1.2%, heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic that led to the closure of waste collection and sorting centers.

Despite this dip, the market grew overall over the decade thanks to the introduction of strict regulations and the push for the circular economy.

The construction sector remains the main generator of waste, contributing almost 70% of the waste produced in the country. The introduction of the AGEC law in 2020 and the introduction of an EPR (extended producer responsibility) channel for construction waste from 2022 illustrate regulatory efforts to propel the sector towards sustainability and efficient waste management.

The waste management market covers collection, transportation, treatment, reuse and energy recovery.

The Waste Management Market in France

French industry relies heavily on recycled waste as a resource, particularly in the paper, glass and metal industries, although fluctuations in global raw material prices present both opportunities and challenges for the recycling sector.

In recent years, France has seen a considerable shift in demand for waste management services. Despite fluctuations in waste production, the general trend is towards a growing awareness of environmental sustainability and the impact of regulatory measures.

Waste production is increasing at a moderate average annual rate of around 1.1%. Waste production peaked at around 355 million tonnes. Despite the small change in waste volume, the French waste management market has seen a gradual increase in sales. Over a decade, the market has seen a 20% increase in sales.

Sales for waste management activities in 2020 are expected to be around €24.8 billion.

The construction sector is the main producer of waste in France, accounting for almost 70% of total waste production. Waste produced by economic activities and households represents around 21% and 9% respectively.

The French market has demonstrated a strong commitment to waste recycling and recovery. The proportion of waste recycled and recovered for electricity production is on the rise, with 66% of waste recycled and 6% reused for electricity production.

Only 28% of waste is now landfilled.

The number of waste management companies is stable.

French spending on waste management amounts to 1.5 billion euros.

France's waste management pioneers and innovators

  • Tiru Group: A subsidiary of EDF, Tiru is a heavyweight in the waste management sector, particularly renowned for its expertise in energy recovery.
  • Derichebourg: France's leading metal recycler, Derichebourg is at the forefront of processing and transforming scrap metal into reusable resources.
  • Recylex: Specialized in zinc, lead and plastic recycling and the preservation of natural resources.
  • Valobat: the new Valobat eco-organization aims to facilitate waste sorting, collection and recycling.
  • Too Good To Go: a start-up that stands out by promoting waste reduction through its innovative application platform and minimizing food waste.
  • Paprec Groupe has become one of France's key recycling players.

Get all the information you need
to understand this market

Detailed content of our market study

Inforamtion

  • Number of pages : ~ 40 pages
  • Format : Digital and PDF versions
  • Last update :
Update Details

Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Market definition and scope

Waste management covers all operations relating to waste generated by human activity. It involves the collection, transportation, treatment, reuse, disposal or storage of waste. It has a scientific name: rudology, which can be defined as the systematic study of waste.

The latest World Bank report estimates global waste production at 2.01 billion tonnes. There are, however, major disparities in the origin of this waste, with its production not proportional to the population of the world's different regions, bearing witness to certain inequalities. In 2018, only 13.5% of this waste was recycled, and much of it was dumped wildly in nature and the oceans, demonstrating the need for waste management on a global scale. In 2023, these findings are still true: the World Bank has not issued a new report on global waste production, but the COVID-19 crisis has turned global waste production upside down.

In 2023, in Europe, France is the 2ᵉ country producing the most waste, behind Germany. The management of these millions of tons of waste generates billions of euros in sales, growing by 11.2% for the European Union and 21% for France between 2016 and 2018. France, however, saw a 1.2% drop in sales between 2019 and 2020, heavily impacted by the closure of 95% of its drop-off centers and 60% of its sorting centers during the March 2020 containment period.

Current trends in waste sorting and reduction, reinforced by legal incentives such as the 2020 AGEC law, could modify business, by reducing the annual volume of waste, which could have a negative impact on sales.however, the know-how required to deal with new types of waste, such as WEEE, and the increasing scarcity of raw materials will tend to increase the value of each individual.

1.2 Waste management worldwide: major inequalities in the face of a global challenge

Global production:

The World Bank's **** What a waste *. * report highlights the problems associated with waste management on a global scale. Ocean pollution, poor regions submerged in litter, many are the problems caused by poor waste management. This World Bank report is still the latest update of the World Bank's figures on ...

1.3 A relatively stable but growing French market

Here's how the amount of waste generated in France has changed in recent years.

Waste generated France, **** - ****, in millions of tonnes Source: ****

Between **** and ****, the quantity of waste generated in France did not change significantly, increasing by **.*% in ** years, representing average annual growth of *.*%. A change in trend was observed ...

1.4 Foreign trade

The Pôle national des transferts transfrontaliers de déchets (***), batteries, etc., which explains why some countries export waste to France. Waste treatment costs can vary from country to country, which also explains the existence of these waste transfers.

Non-hazardous waste imports by country ****, France, in millions of tons Source: ****

In ...

1.5 Impact covid: difficulties for local authorities and industries but a growing awareness among the French

Waste management has been a topic of concern with the health crisis. During the March **** containment, **-**% of the *,*** public waste collection centers and around **% of sorting centers were closed, according to estimates by local government association Amorce.

The Ministry of Ecological Transition wanted to "maintain separate collection (***) from households for ...

2 Demand analysis

2.1 Typology of waste producers

Waste production in France can be ranked as follows:

Waste generated by activity France, ****, in millions of tons Source: ****

In ****, construction accounted for almost **% of France's waste production, **% for economic activities outside the building and public works sector, and households accounted for "only" *% of French waste.

2.2 Construction drives national production

Here's the evolution of the quantity of waste produced by the construction sector.

Evolution of the quantity of waste produced by the construction sector France, ****-****, in millions of tonnes Source: ****

The quantity of waste produced by construction and the total quantity of waste produced in France follow the same trends ...

2.3 Business activities

Trends in waste production by economic activities France, **** - ****, in millions of tonnes Source: ****

Waste production by economic activities, excluding construction and public works, has not increased much in ** years, growing by **% between **** and ****.

Breakdown of waste from economic activities France, ****, in millions of tons Source: ****

In ****, waste from economic activities ...

2.4 A downward trend for households

Decreasing consumption:

In recent years, there has been a downward trend in household waste production, the result of awareness-raising policies and growing environmental awareness.

Trends in manages consumption France, **** - ****, in kilograms per capita Source: ****

Here we represent the quantity of household and similar waste per capita. It does not take ...

3 Market structure

3.1 Waste classification

Waste is defined at European level as "any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard", and therefore has a legal status.

There are different classifications of waste:

Source: ****

Waste producers:

Household waste management is the responsibility of local authorities, as part of the "public ...

3.2 Typology of waste management services

Market share by type of waste management France, ****, in percent Source: ****

In ****, waste management, collection, sorted waste recovery and waste treatment/disposal shared the market almost equally, with collection occupying a more important place. Pollution control and other management services account for just *.*% of market share.

The NAF codes used to ...

3.3 Players of all kinds

The companies:Here is a ranking, carried out by BMFVERIF, of the ** companies with the highest sales in the waste collection, treatment and disposal sector, as well as the recovery of sorted waste:

GUY DAUPHIN ENVIRONNEMENT PAPREC FRANCE ECOSYSTEM SUEZ RV NORD EST COLLECTE VALORISATION ENERGIE DECHETS-COVED REVIVAL (***) ESKA (***) SUEZ RV ...

4 Offer analysis

4.1 Despite a drop in waste production, expenses are rising

National spending on waste management will amount to €**.** billion in ****, up **% on ****. It is broken down into two distinct components: current expenditure (***).

trends in current expenditure on waste management France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

In ****, half of current expenditure was financed by businesses (***). Businesses' share of current expenditure is ...

4.2 Increasing waste recovery

Waste disposal in France ****, France, % Source: ****

According to the Ademe (***) **** report, in France in ****, **% of waste was recycled and *% was recovered for electricity. Both outlets have seen growth. Energy recovery increased by almost **%, even though it was still not widely used in ****. conversely, while disposal still accounted for **% of the waste ...

4.3 Companies offer a wide range of services

Waste management is a very specific sector of activity. It is involved in the final stage of a product's life cycle. It is therefore necessary not to offer a product in particular, but a service. This is why waste management takes place at several levels and includes several stages:

Collection : the ...

4.4 Eco-design, an unavoidable practice

Eco-design is based on * points[***] :

Inclusion from the outset of all internal and external players concerned by the product Integrate consumer use Think in terms of the entire packaging system, to avoid any transfer of impact Optimize packaging weight and/or volume for a defined product use value Optimize the use ...

5 Regulations

5.1 Regulations: practice, with the help of your EPR

There are numerous regulations governing waste management, and it's important to keep abreast of them, as changes can occur at any time.

Identifying your EPR:

discussed in section *.*, what is EPR? Economic players (***). This means that these players are responsible for the entire life cycle of the products they put on ...

5.2 Numerous regulations in force to have a lasting impact on the market

Waste management companies must comply with strict regulations.

The French Environment Code, article L***-* : "Any producer or holder of waste is required to manage it or have it managed, in accordance with the provisions [***]" "Any producer or holder of waste is responsible for the management of this waste up to ...

5.3 Tightening regulations to the industry's advantage?

Regulatory forecasts appear to be positive for the waste management industry: the stricter the regulations, the higher the price paid to the collection or treatment operator, as the required skills and investments are high.

However, the French Energy Transition Act is sending mixed signals to the industry:

The widespread introduction of ...

6 Positioning the players

6.1 Segmentation

  • Guy Dauphin Environnement (GDE Ecore)
  • Séché Environnement
  • Coved (Paprec)
  • Paprec Groupe
  • Pizzorno Groupe
  • Sepur
  • Recylex Groupe
  • CARBIOS
  • Suez Groupe
  • Waste Market place
  • Derichebourg Groupe
  • Véolia Groupe
  • Veolia Propreté (Groupe Veolia)
  • Vanheede Environment Group
  • Guyot Environnement
  • Brangeon Groupe
  • Aktid
  • Neolithe
  • Néos
  • Ecodrop

List of charts presented in this market study

  • Trends in waste quantities
  • Share of waste generated
  • Share of waste production and population
  • Per capita waste production
  • Estimated trend in waste production
Show more Hide

All our studies are available online in PDF format

Take a look at an example of our research on another market!

Do you have a question about this study?   +44 238 097 0676

Latest news

Suez breaks into the Polish biogas market - 19/07/2024
  • - Suez acquires 51% of ARA Cursus.
  • - 24.5% stake in ARA taken by Eiffel Gaz Vert.
  • - The Bourgogne group has owned 24.5% since 2021.
  • - Number of ARA agricultural biogas projects: 9 projects, including 1 in operation and 8 scheduled to start up in 2024.
  • - Production capacity per project: Approx. 1 MW of renewable electrical energy.
  • - Planned investment for development in Poland: Around €70 million.
  • - Suez biogas production in 2023: More than 2000 GWh.
  • - Suez biomethane production in 2023: 382 GWh.
  • - Suez has been present in Poland for almost 50 years with subsidiaries in water and wastewater management.
  • - Polish support framework for biogas: Guaranteed tariff for 15 years from 2023.
Paprec: the Petithuguenin succession is in place - 18/06/2024

- Percentage of Paprec capital held by Jean-Luc Petithuguenin's children: 80%

Paprec takes up the challenge against Suez and Veolia in the waste sector - 18/06/2024
  • Paprec: number three in waste management in France, with the ambition of becoming number one, ahead of Suez and Veolia.
    • - Number one in recycling.
    • - Second in solid recovered fuel (SRF).
    • - Third in methanization.
  • - 20% stake in Pizzorno Environnement, with sales of around 265 million euros in 2023.
  • - Objective f: achieve sales of 5 billion euros by 2028, up 67% on 2023 (3 billion euros), including 1 billion outside France
  • - Veolia's French waste division generated revenues of 2.9 billion euros last year, out of a group total of 45.4 billion.
  • - Acquisition of Recycleurs Bretons, a Finistère-based SME with sales of €40 million.
  • - Presence in ten countries with some 350 sites and plants, mainly in France.
  • - Market leader in Switzerland following the purchase of 40% of local market leader Helvetia Environnement.
  • - Recently established in Scotland and soon to inaugurate a second CSR boiler plant in Krosno, Poland.
  • - 250 to 300 robots working in Paprec plants
Battery recycling: Suez hopes to supply China's Envision gigafactory in Douai - 08/05/2024
  • Creation of France's first zero-emission battery industrial park.
  • Construction of a battery gigafactory with a capacity of 9 gigawatt-hours, representing an investment of 2 billion euros and the creation of 2,500 jobs by 2030.
  • In partnership with Eramet, Suez will develop a complex to recycle batteries and extract essential metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.
  • The battery recycling plant should be operational by 2027.
  • Suez sales in China: one billion euros.
  • Suez workforce: 40,000 people in 40 countries.
  • Global Suez sales in 2023: 9 billion euros.
Waste: Paprec pushes ahead in Switzerland - 15/01/2024
  • Paprec was founded in 1994 Paprec has been active in Switzerland for 13 years.
  • Paprec has acquired 40% of the capital of Helvetia Environnement, the local leader in its sector in Switzerland.
  • Two investment funds hold respectively 40% and 20% of Helvetia Environnement's capital.
  • Paprec Switzerland generates sales of €50 million from six sites.
  • Helvetia Environnement generates sales of 130 million euros with 22 operating centers.
  • Paprec invests 400 million euros annually in its production facilities.
  • Paprec recently completed its fifth round of financing, welcoming Vauban Infrastructure Partners and Crédit Agricole as new shareholders.
  • Thirty years after its creation, Paprec has achieved sales of 3 billion euros.
Veolia's plan for growth in energy - 13/01/2024
  • The group already generates a quarter of its sales (just over 10 billion out of almost 43 billion euros in 2022) from the operation of heating networks, the recovery of energy from waste and wastewater, and energy-related services.
  • The Group, which has positioned itself in the field of "decarbonizing local energy", estimates that it will be worth 500 billion euros in Europe by 2030
  • Services related to energy efficiency in buildings and industry could represent a market worth 200 billion euros by 2030
  • Green energy supply and heating/cooling networks could be worth 150 billion euros by 2030.
  • The operation of heating networks is Veolia's main energy business (revenues of 5.9 billion euros in 2022),
  • Veolia operates more than 500 networks.

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Guy Dauphin Environnement (GDE Ecore)
Séché Environnement
Coved (Paprec)
Paprec Groupe
Pizzorno Groupe
Sepur
Recylex Groupe
CARBIOS
Suez Groupe
Waste Market place
Derichebourg Groupe
Véolia Groupe

Choosing this study means :

Access to more than 35 hours of work

Our studies are the result of over 35 hours of research and analysis. Using our studies allows you to devote more time and added value to your projects.

Benefit from 6 years' experience and over 1,500 industry reports already produced

Our expertise enables us to produce comprehensive studies in all sectors, including niche and emerging markets.

Our know-how and methodology enable us to produce reports that offer unique value for money.

Access to several thousand articles and paid-for data

Businesscoot has access to all the paid economic press as well as exclusive databases to carry out its market research (over 30,000 articles and private sources).

To enhance our research, our analysts also use web indicators (semrush, trends, etc.) to identify market trends and company strategies. (Consult our paying sources)

Guaranteed support after your purchase

A team dedicated to after-sales service, to guarantee you a high level of satisfaction. +44 238 097 0676

A digital format designed for our users

Not only do you have access to a PDF, but also to a digital version designed for our customers. This version gives you access to sources, data in Excel format and graphics. The content of the study can therefore be easily retrieved and adapted for your specific needs.

Our offers :

the waste management market | France

99 €
  • What are the figures on the size and growth of the market?
  • What is driving the growth of the market and its evolution?
  • What is the positioning of companies in the value chain?
  • Data from several dozen databases

Pack 5 études (-15%) France

75.6 € / study
378 € instead of 445 € -15%
  • 5 études au prix de 75,6€HT par étude à choisir parmi nos 800 titres sur le catalogue France pendant 12 mois
  • Conservez -15% sur les études supplémentaires achetées
  • Choisissez le remboursement des crédits non consommés au terme des 12 mois (durée du pack)

Consultez les conditions du pack et de remboursement des crédits non consommés.

Updates

Do you have a question ?
Our team is at your disposal at   +44 238 097 0676