French know-how in the field of waste management

Within the framework of the 'A resource-efficient Europe' initiative (COM 2011, 21), the European Union has set itself the target for 2020 of managing waste as a material or energy resource, and not only as a substance that must be disposed of. This direction is present in the European strategy on waste management and in particular in the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC). This Directive reminds us that waste management must not have adverse impacts on the environment and human health and must preserve resources. It reconfirms the polluter-pays principle and the responsibility of the producers of goods for treating their used products. The Waste Framework Directive also establishes a hierarchy of waste treatment methods which gives preference to prevention, then preparation in view of re-use, recycling, recovery and disposal. The European Waste Strategy is based on the major issues of sustainable development through: - the development of a circular economy based on the preservation, re-use and recycling of resources - the development of renewable energies promoting recovery of the biogenic portion of waste - the fight against climate change by choosing the best technologies available and optimising treatment systems. In France, the national waste management plan proposes objectives in line with the European legislation transposed into French law. Since 2007, the amount of waste produced in France by households has stabilised thanks to the public policies implemented over the last 20 years. These policies have promoted the prevention of waste and the development of industrial waste recycling and recovery sectors. In 2010, the total number of public and private jobs in the waste sector in France was thus assessed at around 130,600 (source: French Ministry for Ecology). A Strategic Committee for Eco-Industries (COSEI) bringing together private and public stakeholders and professional unions supports this dynamic, in particular within the framework of a working group dedicated to waste management. An organisational and technological innovation support policy, recently reinforced by an ambitious national program called 'Investments for the future', also enables French waste management stakeholders to open new markets (hazardous waste management, for example) and improve waste management nationally as well as abroad. France has all of the necessary expertise for waste management and important feedback in terms of public policies. In addition to major groups that are world leaders in the fields of waste and water management, France also has a fabric of leading industrial stakeholders: SMEs, technical centres, academic structures and competitiveness clusters in all fields of waste management. Within a context of rapidly increasing volumes of waste, French public and private stakeholders offer adapted and innovative products and services worldwide. (author)