Cologne, Germany, July 07, 2023 - The Conseil d'État, France's highest administrative court, uphold an action brought by GreenDot and PRO Europe to annul a decree issued by the French Environment Ministry in 2020. The financing symbol can therefore continue to be applied to packaging in France without additional fees.

The relevant passage in the French Environmental Code (Code de l'Environnement) stipulates that a doubled fee must be paid in France for packaging placed on the market if this packaging contains symbols "likely to confuse the consumer in matters of waste separation". In a decree subsequently published by the French Environment Ministry, the Green Dot trademark was declared as such a confusing symbol, even though it has been an international financing symbol for packaging recycling systems for over 30 years. If implemented, this regulation would have caused companies supplying packaged products to France considerable workload and additional costs, in some cases even in the millions.

The French Supreme Administrative Court has now declared the decree of the French Environment Ministry relating to the Green Dot trademark null and void. The main reason given for the decision was that the French authorities had not sufficiently fulfilled their obligation to notify the European Commission of the planned legislation.

GreenDot and PRO Europe welcome the decision by the French Court which can be accessed in full length under the following link.

Contact person:
Norbert Völl, Tel.: +49 2203 937507

About GreenDot:
As a service provider for extended producer responsibility, as a leading secondary raw materials supplier for plastics and as a premium producer of plastic recyclates, GreenDot is a pioneering solution provider for the needs of the circular economy. Der Grüne Punkt Holding GmbH & Co. KG, part of the GreenDot group, helped introduce and establish the dual system in Germany with the Green Dot trademark and stands for intelligent take-back systems as well as the development and marketing of innovative recyclates and services. Systec Plastics produces premium recyclates under the Systalen^® brand for the international market at its sites in Eisfeld and Hörstel.

About PRO Europe:
PRO Europe s.p.r.l. (Packaging Recovery Organisation Europe), founded in 1995, is the umbrella organization for European systems for recovery and recycling of packaging and packaging waste, mainly using the registered trademark "Der Grüne Punkt" as a financing symbol. In its main role, PRO Europe is the general licensor of the trademark "Der Grüne Punkt" for Europe.
www.pro-e.org