France

Agriculture

• In 2018, France developed the Methane Energy and Nitrogen Autonomy Plan, an agricultural approach that aims to cut emissions by reducing the overall use of inputs and increase the use of organic fertilizers. The country is also committed to action on manure management, aiming to have 1,000 biogas plants by 2020 (up from just 90 in 2012 and 400 in late 2017).
• France offers further financial incentives, including grants and technical aids offered by ADEME, the environmental and sustainable development agency, for biogas development. Biogas and biomethane mixed with natural gas are also exempted from domestic consumption tax.
• In 2016, feed-in-tariffs became feed-in-premiums, granting a premium tariff to renewable electricity producers of larger biogas plants (that’s on top of the sale price they get on the electricity market). This action made biogas more competitive on the electricity market, complementing the European Union Emission Trading System (ETS).
• In 2017, the government set up tariff rebate of up to 40 percent on the costs of connecting biomethane facilities with distribution networks.
• In 2017, the Plant Protein Plan, a French consortium of enterprises committed to lowering France’s protein dependency, started work to speed up the development of the alternative and plant-based protein sector while increasing the health and nutrition of livestock to make the sector more efficient.
• The ‘MONDFERENT’ (‘Methane emissions for cattle in France’ at the national agronomic research institution, INRA) project has refined emissions calculations for enteric fermentations and the management of cattle manure for the national inventory.
• In 2015, the National Low-Carbon Strategy sets out agricultural emissions reduction targets of 12 percent by 2030.
• From 2011 to 2016, feed-in-tariffs for electricity produced from biogas were available for power plants using vegetable and animal agricultural waste.

Waste

• In 2020, the Anti-waste law for a circular economy introduced reinforced penalties in case of intentional destruction of unsold but still edible food, mandatory procedures to monitor and control the quality of the food donation, and national "anti-food waste" label that can be granted to any legal entity contributing to the national objectives.
• In 2020, a multiyear energy programme was adopted which includes a 10-year energy plan mandating that biogas account for 7 to 10 percent of gas consumption by 2030. France also plans to provide €7 to 9 billion of subsidies to encourage renewable gas production. Progress is already underway, with the amount of biogas injected into GRTgaz pipelines, (the company that builds and maintains the main natural gas transmission network) rising by 75 percent last year with 661 new projects already planned.
• In 2019, the National Programme on Food and Nutrition was launched, in particular to continue the fight against food waste and ensure sustainable and healthy diets. The government also supported investments to improve the environmental performance of the agrifood industries and encourage energy efficiency certificates.
• In 2018, France passed the Agriculture Bill which expands the requirement for supermarkets to donate unused food to encompass institutional catering. It also requires restaurants provide to-go boxes for uneaten food and requires that food waste is reported and that a waste reduction plan for the catering sector is established.
• In 2016, France became the first country in the world to prohibit supermarkets from throwing away unused food, earning the top ranking in the 2017 Food Sustainability Index.
• Since 2016, companies and administrative bodies are obligated to sort their waste. By 2025, the country aims to have universal sorting of household organic waste.
• In 2012, the Waste Management Enforcement Law reduced the amount of organic waste sent to landfills by requiring many private sector companies to recycle it. Since then, in 2020, with the anti-waste law for a circular economy, France has significantly tightened that requirement, encompassing all companies that produce anything over 10 tons annually.

Efficient cooling

• In 2020, the recovery plan “France Relance”, included €6.7 billion for building renovation, primarily through insulation, including measures to adapt to summer temperatures and heat waves.
• In 2019, the Law on Energy and Climate included several measures against thermally inefficient homes including that, starting in 2022, owners will be required to do an energy audit before renting or selling to inform renters and sellers of the expected energy costs. By 2021, owners won’t be able to raise rent until they’ve done energy efficient renovations. By 2023, homes with extremely high energy costs could even be banned from renting.
• The 2019 Finance Bill (adopted in 2018) has introduced tax credits and incentives for companies to install HFC-free refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.
• In 2015, the Act on Energy Transition for Green Growth puts in place measures to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and homes, including tax credits and interest-free loans for individuals and companies. It also requires energy efficient upgrades when renovating.

 Transportation
  

• In 2020, the recovery plan plan “France Relance” included several provisions on green infrastructures and mobility including cycling and public transit, railway infrastructure, greening of the state’s fleet, and incentives for clean vehicles.
• The Finance Bill 2020, adopted at the end of 2019, includes an almost twofold increase of the maximum penalty for new high-emitting vehicles, from €10,500 in 2019 to €20,000 in 2020. 
• The 2019 Orientation  Law on Mobilities sets a target of ending the sale of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles using fossil fuels by 2040.
• In 2019, €264 million was allocated to the ecological bonus budget to support the purchase of almost 42,800 electric passenger cars and almost 8,000 electric light commercial vehicles. In 2020, the government will provide another €395 million to purchase about 100,000 electric vehicles.
• In 2017, France participated in the 74th meeting of the International Marine Organizations’ (IMO) Maritime Environment Protection Committee and, among other maritime environmental commitments, the country pledged to reduce black carbon emissions in ship’s exhaust smoke. Furthermore, France is implementing light fuels and particle filters on all its ships and plans to create a low-emission zone in the Mediterranean.
• The 2015 Law on Energy Transition for Green Growth authorized local authorities to establish restricted traffic zones where vehicles must display a special sticker indicating their emissions categorization during certain times. The act also created tax incentives and rebates for individuals, local authorities, and vehicle hire companies to purchase clean vehicles. By 2025, 100 percent of vehicles will be low emissions.