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Visiting a local bakery in France is a routine activity for a baguette or a croissant before work, but this practice might be impacted by a new environmentally-focused policy.

French bakers have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with a new recycling tax imposed on the paper wrappers and cardboard boxes used for bread, pastries, and cakes.

Each customer’s purchase at the bakery counters incurs a tax of 0,0075 cents, aiming to have the bakers contribute to recycling expenses and reduce environmental waste.

The concept of contributing to waste reduction is not novel. Previously, bakeries had to report all packaging items used to determine their annual contribution to waste reduction efforts. This tax streamlines the complex existing system. Similar contributions have been extended to other professions such as butchers and cheese vendors.

An additional financial strain

However, bakers contend that this tax adds to the already tough economic climate, which is aggravated by increasing energy costs and food inflation. The French government has provided assistance to bakers since 2022 due to sharp increases in electricity and gas, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

To some, this is yet another financial strain. As stated by Dominique Anract, the president of the National Confederation of French Boulangerie-Patisserie in Le Figaro, “This is the final straw.”

A typical bakery sees approximately 300 customers a day, which adds up to an annual tax of around 700€. Anract suggests that bakers might need to raise the price of their goods to offset the tax’s impact on their income.

Bakers are also concerned about the tax’s potential to affect their customers. Independent boulangeries account for 52% of bread sales in a country where bread is more than just food; it’s also a cultural landmark. The baguette was listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2022.

A simple fix could be the adoption of reusable cloth bags, or sacs à pain, a tradition from the past. Regardless of the packaging, the French do not appear ready to relinquish their cherished baguette.