The RCE or FREC (in French) is an acronym for the Roadmap for the Circular Economy. Published in France by the French Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition in April 2018, it translates the green growth energy transition law of 11 August 2015 into practical steps.
What are the RCE’s objectives?
- Reducing French consumption of natural resources: a 30% reduction in resource use in relation to GDP by 2030, compared to 2010
- A 50% reduction in the amount of nonhazardous waste landfilled by 2025, compared to 2010
- Aiming to recycle 100% of plastics by 2025
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: saving 8 million additional tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, thanks to plastic recycling
- Creating up to 300,000 additional jobs, including in new professions.
What practical steps can be taken in order to achieve these objectives?
In total, there are 50 practical steps, each of which falls into one of 4 categories:
- Better production: More recycled materials in products, environmental labelling, etc.
- Better consumption: Encouraging reuse, repair, the economy of functionality and consumer information
- Better waste management: Facilitating waste sorting and reuse
- Mobilising all parties involved (citizens, businesses, etc.) through raising awareness, education, and strengthening partnerships, etc.
How can the RCE help businesses achieve waste production and management which is even more environmentally friendly?
Using this list of practical steps as a point of reference, businesses can evaluate the policies they've already implemented as well as those yet to be put in place.
In keeping with its ecological values, Armor Office Printing has chosen to implement these practical steps. To this end, in September 2018, they undertook an assessment of the 22 RCE steps directly related to their business activity. Armor Office Printing's business has been rooted in remanufacturing and reusing printer cartridges since 2008, and this analysis has highlighted several strengths:
- Better production:
- Remanufacturing of OWA cartridges, 100% traceable, measurable and transparent, and 100% recovery of used cartridges
- Largest employer in France in the sector
- Responsible production with an environmental management system and a tripling certified plant (ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001)
- Better consumption:
- Being a proponent of the circular economy ensuring the supply, collection, reuse of cartridges and material recycling.
- Obtaining eco-labels (Nordic Ecolabel, NF Environnement, Blue Angel)
- The environmental labelling of the cartridges concerned (use of natural resources compared to the consumption induced by the use of original cartridges)
- Better waste management:
- Integrated and free collection system with our OWA offer with the assurance that consumables are collected, recycled and 100% recovered
- Using the TRIMAN logo system to help citizens sort their recycling since 2008.
- In accordance with the WEEE Directive, Armor Office Printing has been a member of ESR (Eco-System Recylum) since 2018, in order to satisfy all the control and certification processes of Eco-organisms for inkjet cartridges
- Mobilising involved parties:
- Promoting its services to raise awareness among businesses
As with any assessment, some areas for improvement were also identified. Therefore, thanks to the RCE, Armor Office Printing is currently examining these areas closely, in order to best achieve the objectives set by the French Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition.
