Temps de lecture : 2min
Dernière mis à jour : 07/04/2017
Which presidential candidate will talk to us about our trash? Far from divisive issues and technocratic ideas, there is a common-sense idea that unites the French. This idea is as simple as the slogan proclaimed over thirty years ago, "In France, we have no oil, but we have ideas." It can be summed up in one sentence: there is gold in our trash. Yes, gold, because an industrial model that reconciles ecology and economic growth exists: it is the circular economy.
The paper industry demonstrates this right before our eyes with this new model. By forcing us to move beyond the linear model of resource exploitation, recycling and recovery encourage us to implement innovative processes, allow us to create jobs, and push us to design profitable models. It is no longer about eliminating waste but about producing a resource. Three-quarters of the French are convinced of this. This heralds the gradual disappearance in collective consciousness of the notion of waste in its classic sense and the widespread adoption of a strong conviction: our waste is our resource.
This mobilization is already underway. The French have adopted selective sorting. More and more of them report being mindful of the environmental impact of their consumption. They are gradually entering a usage-based economy, and collaborative consumption is developing. On the ground, the efforts of all economic actors and local authorities are already producing results: the 180,000 residents of Amiens Métropole multiplied their recycled paper quantity by four in two years; the 266,000 residents of Greater Nancy recycle an additional 1,500 tons of paper per year. Recycling paper consumes three times less water and electricity than manufacturing it from virgin pulp. Recycling is a response to the scarcity of virgin raw materials, the deterioration of ecosystems, global warming, and population explosion. It is also a tremendous growth lever for our regions.
This circular economy model must materialize into a genuine prospect for our industrial future and the evolution of our society. To achieve this, we do not need additional resources, but strong and determined political will and concrete decisions. Reform taxation and waste management financing. Develop ambitious regional planning for waste management to optimize sorting facilities. Stop "scattergun" approaches and better mobilize investments to increase the sector's competitiveness. Fundamentally transform our industrial sorting and collection system. Direct part of vocational training funds towards these future-oriented, non-relocatable jobs to structure a five-year circular economy employment plan (the circular economy represents 800,000 jobs in France according to France Stratégie). Launch a "Marshall Plan" for innovation and eco-design. Use public procurement as a lever to favor recycled materials.
These simple, effective measures will have immediate effects on our economy and employment. But who is talking about this in this electoral campaign? Ladies and gentlemen candidates, to finally convince you of the interest of this subject, know that 84% of French people believe there is no trade-off to be made between environment and economy. So, don't you think the time has come to move beyond the obsolete antagonism between economy and ecology? The circular economy can constitute a collective, unifying, and exciting project for our country. Seize it!
