Single-use non-biodegradable tableware will be prohibited in the European state beginning less than four years from now — enough time for manufacturers to adjust. The new law, initiated by France's green EELV party, will allow single-use cutlery if it is made from biologically-sourced materials and quickly and naturally decompose after use.
Not everybody in France has welcomed the noble environmental motives. Environment minister Segolene Royal earlier argued that the measure was "antisocial" as poor families cannot afford what he suggested was expensive cutlery, re-using disposable knives and forks instead.
But the law passed in August, and French citizens and the country's many visitors will soon be consuming their coffee-to-go in carefully-crafted, thermally-sensitive, completely biodegradable cups.