The announcement sounded like the best news of the year, sounding the death knell for an era that was soon to pass: last spring, Europe ratified the ban on single-use plastic by 2021, giving increased visibility to a sector passionately committed to building a sustainable world. All our daily actions have been changed, and the challenge of a few is now everyone's business. 72% of French people say they are interested in environmental issues, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey. Everyone has started sorting, recycling, composting, buying second-hand, finishing their plates, and filling their cupboards with jars, preferring bulk to disposable packaging and the virtues of a simple carafe to those of a plastic bottle. New reflex actions are emerging, coupled with a green conscience that, more often than not, was just waiting to emerge from its chrysalis. But what does a zero waste life actually look like? Because, in the words of Béa Johnson, activist in the international Zero Waste movement and author of the book Zero Waste (J'ai Lu), "The best waste is the one that doesn't exist." As noted: the French blogger based near San Francisco prides herself on fitting her annual trash into a quarter-liter jar.
The French are more concerned... and committed to zero waste
Far from this unattainable Grail, each French person still produces 568 kilos of household and similar waste per year, twice as much as 40 years ago, according to ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Transition. And yet, struck late in life by the discovery of the famous "6th continent" and aware of the urgent need to change habits, 66% of them declare having already bought in bulk, according to a study by YouGov for the HuffPost, and 88% of them would enthusiastically welcome the return of deposits in supermarkets. In addition to the key arguments of protecting our environment (by reducing our carbon footprint on a human and individual scale), promoting short supply chains, and eco-responsibility (feeling part of a vast and ambitious project), there is the idea of social connection that results from it, and more prosaically, that of a cheaper lifestyle.
Ever more innovations in all sectors
Faced with these new expectations and in a rapidly growing market - 850 million euros in turnover each year for bulk goods alone, compared to barely 100 million in 2013 -, an entire ultra-virtuous sector is being organized which develops new multi-sector solutions every day - food, beauty, hygiene, home, etc. - for professionals and individuals alike, deploying its research efforts throughout the production chain, from raw materials to transport, and whose ever-increasing number of players will present their new products at the next Natexpo trade fair, September 21 and 22, 2020 in Lyon. Zoom in on some of these companies that are very involved in the zero waste movement.
The bulk boom
Applymage-eco equips local businesses with attractive containers of all sizes, designed and manufactured in France, and intended for the bulk distribution of food products. Special mention goes to its custom-made creations such as the three-wheeled vehicle developed for the Au Grain Près mobile grocery store in Marseille.
On the same front, the young company Qualivrac, a specialist in bulk liquids, offers a beechwood drawer unit (handcrafted in northern France) with an ingenious system that keeps the liquid under pressure for ultra-precise dispensing. A modular and portable unit, as easy to refill as it is to move.
Slow cosmetic
As its name suggests, the Lyon brand with a 70s spirit Boho Green Makeup has been deeply committed to sustainable development since 1990. It is a member of the 1% for the Planet movement, supports the Nicolas Hulot Foundation for Nature and Mankind, and offers a wide range of organic makeup products labeled COSMEBIO. Made from 100% natural ingredients from renewable resources, they are all sold without blisters or unnecessary packaging.
Back to basics
The quest for ideal water is the central project of Natarys, which has been committed since 2007 to offering ecological solutions to both individuals and professionals through an exclusive technology that combines water filtration and revitalization. Fountains, reverse osmosis systems, faucets, bottles... a key player in changing our practices at home and in the office.
A good conscience aperitif
The brand Resurrection offers crackers made partly from spent grains, the solid residue generated by brewing malt during beer production. The same goes for apple pomace from cider production... This produces aperitif biscuits with a fennel, paprika or squash flavor, sold in organic stores, wine shops and cheese shops. Yum.
New zero waste actions
Evangelistic mission, nothing less, for the brand new brand LittlePots, convinced that the best waste is the one we don't produce. It offers glass containers for groceries, hygiene, care, cooking, and zero-waste starter kits. It also trains beginners, through its workshops, in eco-citizen actions.