French Solid Waste Partnership

Zero Waste Forum

Lucia Lopez — 2026-06-15T12:14:25Z

The French Waste Partnership (FSWP) attended the Zero Waste Forum, whose theme was “Road to Antalya: Zero Waste as Climate Action.” This forum was established by Turkey's First Lady, Emine Erdoğan, and organized by the Zero Waste Foundation, chaired by COP31 High-Level Climate Champion Samed Agirbas. This second edition demonstrated just how central the topic of waste prevention and management will be at COP31.

This edition of the Global Zero Waste Forum brought together 3,000 participants from more than 140 countries. It took place against a political backdrop that has never been more focused on the issue.

THE FSWP'S PARTICIPATION

Waste generation continues to rise, now exceeding 2.1 billion tons, and is projected to increase by 50% by 2050*. Resource and waste management are issues at the intersection of a number of key challenges for sustainable development: food security, health, climate mitigation, preservation of biodiversity and water resources, resilience, economic sovereignty, urbanization, just transition, and well-being.

It is necessary to invest both in the “Reuse Economy” and in the environmentally sound management of persistent waste
Reducing waste generation relies on the implementation of circular economy measures
It is necessary to have final disposal systems in place to protect human health and the environment
As the “Implementation” COP approaches, the waste prevention and management community must convey a unified message

OUR EVENTS

Presentation at the side event “Waste as a Pricing Problem (PAYT, deposits, incentives),” June 5 from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
During this side event, Corinne Trommsdorff had the opportunity to explore the challenges of waste management financing mechanisms, emphasizing in particular that it is key to choose mechanisms based on each specific context and local habits.
Organization of a closed-door meeting, “Resources and Waste Management Session,” on June 7 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
The objective of this session was to identify international partners willing to align their messages with ISWA and the PFD, in order to have a unified, amplified voice that is better heard. Thus, the question posed was: “How can the resources and waste community strengthen its alignment, amplify its collective impact, and contribute more effectively to positioning resources and waste on the climate agenda ahead of COP31?”
Networking and Strengthening Partnerships
The PFD took advantage of this international event to strengthen its ties with key international partners in advancing sustainable resource and waste management. This was achieved not only during the small-group session to prepare for COP31 on June 7, but also during lunches, dinners, and informal discussions in the corridors of the Forum.

Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) Snapshot – Top 50 Emitters, Country Responses and Mitigation

Lucia Lopez — 2026-06-08T10:07:46Z

Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases and a significant share of it comes from sources that can be identified, tracked, and mitigated. UNEP's Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) integrates data from more than 30 satellites to alert countries of major methane emissions and enable concrete action.

This April 2026 snapshot provides an updated picture of where the world stands: 41 major methane sources have been confirmed as mitigated following MARS notifications, representing an estimated 1,200,000 tonnes of methane, a climate impact comparable to nearly 24 million gasoline-powered cars driven for one year. Countries that have designated a MARS focal point consistently demonstrate higher response rates and more effective follow-through.

Waste sector landfills appear repeatedly among the world's 50 largest methane emitters — including sites in Chile, India, Angola, Iran, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Yemen — illustrating the direct and measurable link between unmanaged waste and global methane emissions.

Position Paper on Circular Economy and a 2050 Vision

Lucia Lopez — 2026-06-04T15:13:45Z

Circular economy is not an end in itself. Its ultimate goal is not to “increase recycling” or “close loops”, but to build a future where value creation is decoupled from environmental bads —including resource extraction, and waste generation.

In public debate, circular economy is often reduced to recycling. However, recent international work – in particular the ISO 59004 norm, adopted in 2024, which breaks down the “10R” principle* into 13 actions ordered according to the life cycle – shows that a complete circular economy begins well before recycling and continues well beyond it. Refusing and avoiding some products or uses, rethinking the needs, adapting production through eco-design, reducing resource consumption, reusing, repairing, reconditioning, remanufacturing, repurposing, recycling, recovering energy, and even recovering materials stored in historic landfill sites: these actions form a coherent scale where recycling and energy recovery are at the bottom, once all the levers of reduction, moderation, sustainability, reuse and repair have been activated.

These coordinated actions only make sense when viewed in the context of the three objectives of circular economy: to reduce environmental and health impacts, to maintain an economy that creates value and jobs, and to ensure our societies' resource sovereignty and resilience.

Given the imperative of ecological, economic and social transition, the French Solid Waste Partnership (FSWP) is contributing to international discussions on what a circular economy could ultimately look like in 2050, both in France and around the world.

Read the full Position Paper about Circular Economy and a 2050 Vision.

Global Push Presentation

Lucia Lopez — 2026-05-28T07:58:30Z

Sustainable resources and waste management is a key cross-cutting issue for public health, environmental protection, the fight against climate change, the preservation of biodiversity and the transition to more resilient economies implementing the actions of the circular economy.*

Many international initiatives are already working to achieve the SDGs and to the protection of health and the environment by improving the sustainable management of resources and waste. Nevertheless, their ambitions remain scattered and fragmented. There are many actors involved — national and local authorities, businesses, financial institutions, international organisations, civil society actors, academia — but they do not yet have a common space to structure dialogue, share experiences and collectively examine the necessary transition pathways. The absence of such a common space and of a shared global vision on resources and waste limits the coherence and impact of international actions.

It was in response to this observation that the international “Global Push” initiative emerged, of which the primary objective is to enable local action, developed under the impetus of the FSWP (French Solid Waste Partnership), with several discussion partners: ISWA (International Solid Waste Association), UNEP-IETC (United Nations Environment Programme), the Secretariat of the BRS Conventions (Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm) and UN-Habitat.

To learn more read aou page on the subject here :
Global Push Initiative

*Refer to ISO Standard 59004 for the list of 13 prioritised actions, also available here.

Economie circulaire, Stahel et Lambert, 2025

Corinne — 2026-05-19T12:18:59Z

Fiche de Lecture - Economie circulaire. Les défis à relever pour atteindre une économie de performance.
Publication de Walter R. Stahel et François-Michel Lambert. Ed. Dunod, mars 2025, 272 pages.

Et si la croissance économique ne dépendait plus de la quantité de biens produits et achetés, mais de leur durée de vie allongée, de leur usage intensifié et maximisé ? Dans leur livre « Économie circulaire. Les défis à relever pour atteindre une économie de performance », François-Michel Lambert et Walter R. Stahel, pionnier de la pensée circulaire, nous invitent à repenser notre rapport à la production, à la consommation et à la valeur. Cet ouvrage décrit une économie où performance rime avec durabilité, où chaque acteur – entreprise, citoyen, décideur public – devient partie prenante d'un modèle plus sobre et plus efficace. Ce livre est essentiel pour comprendre les mutations à venir et pour agir dès aujourd'hui pour une économie du XXIᵉ siècle vraiment soutenable. Il offre un nouveau cadre conceptuel, pour appréhender au mieux les enjeux de l'économie circulaire, notamment par les notions de domaines du R et du D et le développement abouti ce que doit être l'économie de performance, concept dont Walter Stahel en est le pionnier (avec Orio Giarini), avec la publication de référence en 1990 Les limites du certain.

Human Rights

Lucia Lopez — 2026-04-30T13:28:05Z

Coming Soon!

Pole R, a local circular economy

Lucia Lopez — 2026-04-14T13:43:53Z

A 16 000 m² site dedicated to reuse, repair, and waste reduction.

8,000 m² managed as a third place, with shared spaces, equipment, human resources, and material resources.

Three buildings:

Anti-waste zone dedicated to food deposits,
Fabricanova : a cooperative hosting platforms for sorting, reuse, repair, and upcycling;
An incubator for new circular economy activities (textiles, sports and leisure items, wood).

– https://www.grenoblealpesmetropole.fr/327-le-soutien-a-l-economie-circulaire.htm

Murianette's Anaerobic Digestor

Lucia Lopez — 2026-04-14T13:01:13Z

A major project for the energy transition of the territory whose construction is underway

By the end of 2027, the composting center will be modernized and produce biogas from food waste.

Local and sustainable project, as well as the integration into the territory's energy transition strategy.
Circular economy and energy potential of food waste sorting.

– https://www.grenoblealpesmetropole.fr/actualite/213/45-centre-de-compostage-de-murianette-ou-les-dechets-deviennent-une-richesse.htm

ASTEE Congress

Pauline — 2026-04-08T12:07:00Z

From 2 to 5 June 2025, Toulouse, France. The 104th ASTEE Congress brought together more than 650 participants under the theme “Accelerating the ecological transition in cities and regions.”

Every year, ASTEE organizes a congress bringing together more than 600 French participants involved in waste and water management.

FSWP Participation

For the 104th edition, PFD organized and moderated the international session titled “From source to sea: how to tackle pollution and waste transfers?”

presentation

Biodiversity

Lucia Lopez — 2026-03-26T13:46:08Z

Beyond health and climate issues, the sustainable and circular management of resources and waste plays a crucial role in preserving biodiversity, both on land and in aquatic environments. Every year, billions of tonnes of household waste are produced worldwide, more than a third of which is not treated properly. This waste contaminates soil, rivers and oceans, contributing directly to the erosion of biodiversity. Thus, 80% of waste in aquatic environments originates from poor waste management on land.

Poor waste management leads to the pollution of soil and aquatic environments, the degradation of natural habitats, the poisoning of wildlife through ingestion or exposure to toxic substances, and the disruption of food chains. Microplastics, for example, are now present in all ecosystems, from agricultural soils to the deep sea, with consequences that are still poorly understood but potentially significant for species and biological balances.

Implementing Environmentally Sound Waste Management

In light of these findings, the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste, as defined by Article 2(8) of the Basel Convention, which aims to protect the environment and health, constitutes an essential solution for safeguarding biodiversity. It helps to limit the sector's negative impacts on living organisms and ecosystems through:

Improved waste collection, to prevent waste from leaking into the environment, particularly plastics and microplastics, in both terrestrial and aquatic environments;
The availability and improvement of final disposal facilities everywhere and for everyone, in order to reduce soil, air and water pollution, for example by closing uncontrolled, uncovered landfills without leachate treatment in favour of engineered landfills compliant with the Basel Convention's waste management guidelines;
Prevention, the first step in the waste management hierarchy, which reduces waste generation and the use of natural resources, thereby helping to reduce human pressure on ecosystems, fauna and flora.
The implementation of the circular economy hierarchy of actions, as cross-sectoral measures that will restore balance with natural resources through changes in production, consumption and usage patterns.

The objectives of the FSWP

In this context, the FSWP promotes sustainable waste management that is fully integrated with biodiversity issues, and encourages collective and cross-sectoral mobilisation to protect life on land and below water, in full alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – especially SDGs 14 and 15. Its main objectives are:

To strengthen the integration of waste management into local and national biodiversity protection policies and strategies, particularly for the implementation of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Agreement.
To promote concrete and operational solutions for the Environmentally Sound Management of waste – starting with the collection of all waste and the end of open dumping and open burning – thereby limiting the impacts of waste on ecosystems and living organisms.
Support the gradual development and improvement of effective waste management systems tailored to each context, in order to reduce diffuse pollution.
Encourage the circular economy by promoting waste prevention, recycling and recovery to limit pressure on natural resources.
Promote cooperation between public and private actors to share best practices, pool efforts, and accelerate the transitions.