MaConsigne achieves a win-win result after three years of full activity.

Plastic Packaging is a global issue which is putting waste management in crisis in many geographical areas. It is estimated that between five thousand and fifty thousand billion fragments, equivalent to over 150 million tons of plastic are already present in the oceans worldwide. And most of them comes from industrial packaging. This huge amount of waste pollutes air, soil, and any source of fresh or salt water, threatening wildlife and human health through micro and macro plastics, as well as via chemicals.

The Principality of Monaco understood this high risk putting in place a number of initiatives to reduce the production of such materials from everyday good practice, in the footstep of European Union policies which set the ambitious goal of reducing by 5% the packaging waste by 2030 compared to 2018, hence to achieve 10% less by 2035 and 15% less by 2040. In particular, the main objective of MaConsigne, launched in 2022 by the Gouvernment Princier, was to drastically reduce single-use plastic waste in Monaco, in line with the government’s ambition "Zero single-use plastic waste by 2030", while promoting Circular Economy through reusable meal containers offered by affiliated restaurants and businesses.

After more than three years of experimentation, the Prince’s Government has made a positive assessment in terms of sustainable training and educational workshops to raise eco-awareness and change habits towards a more environmentally friendly approach.

The current mechanism is about to end by the 31st December 2025 with the aim of renewing its contents to launch a, even more effective initiative.

Photo >> MaConsigne promotional campaign by Mission pour la Transition Énergétique (Mission for Energy Transition) © Gouvernement Princier

Based on accumulated experience, Monaco Government wishes to further evolve the original concept in order to pursue its ambition to push beyond goals towards a fully Circular Economy paradigm. This reflection and evaluation phase is being conducted under the aegis of the Mission pour la Transition Énergétique (Mission for Energy Transition), public service attached to the Monaco Department of Equipment, Environment and Urban Planning, responsible for leading the energy policy of the Principality. The working team will therefore examine different scenarios in partnership with selected stakeholders (restaurant owners, companies, users, technical teams, etc.).

Monaco Government’s main objective remains unchanged: to propose concrete, innovative and sustainable alternatives to reduce waste at source, while reversing the global negative trend in terms of waste management. In fact, despite advances in recycling, plastic production still exceeds management capacity, creating crises in the supply chain (e.g.: plant shutdowns), as a result of ineffective regulations which generate economic value lost. ***

✒️ Maurice Abbati

• Strategic Communication Specialist, Editor in Chief, Journalist, Executive.

• Lecturer and Author in English in the field of Environmental Communication to foster Circular and Blue Economy.