The European Commission has launched legal action against France over its mandatory packaging labelling system, arguing that the country’s “Info-Tri” label violates EU single market rules and creates trade barriers for manufacturers.
The dispute, announced on July 17, centres on French legislation introduced in 2022 requiring producers of packaging, textiles, electronics and even garden tools to include a sorting label on their products. The “Info-Tri” mark tells consumers which bin to use for various components of packaging to support waste sorting and recycling.
Brussels contends that this national requirement undermines efforts to harmonise labelling standards across the EU. In 2023, the bloc adopted new packaging guidelines that will require a single, unified label for all products sold in the EU, but those rules will not take effect until August 2028.
“Until the introduction of common rules, additional national labelling schemes create unnecessary obstacles to the free movement of goods,” the Commission said in a statement, reflecting industry concerns about fragmented regulations across the bloc.
Manufacturers have repeatedly warned that differing labelling requirements increase compliance costs and complicate cross-border trade.
The French environment ministry has defended its approach, saying that the Info-Tri label supports the country’s ambitious circular economy goals. Paris has pledged to align its labelling rules with the EU framework by 2028 but insists it will maintain the current system until then.
The standoff adds to longstanding tensions between France and Brussels over environmental policy, with Paris often pushing for more stringent national measures than those required at the EU level.
