ADIVALOR, which stands for Agricultors, Distributors, Industrialists for the Valorization of Agricultural Residues, is fighting agri-plastic waste in France in a joint effort with the industry’s main actors.

The private initiative is supported by the Chambers of Agriculture and farmers unions to collect, sort and recycle single-use plastic. The organization’s model engages agricultors, marketers and operators with the financial support of suppliers to take responsibility for the waste produced by the sector.

Founded in 2001, ADIVALOR has successfully given new life to 89,000 tons of plastic in France during 2020. This task has been a true joint effort, with 50 contributing manufacturers and importers, 1,200 associated distributors and 300,000 farmers participating.

Over 20 types of plastic are treated by the organization, including plastic containers, dairy farming containers, bale twine, net wrapping, personal protective equipment, anti-hail netting, flexible irrigation pipes, and more.

Pierre de Lépinau, former general manager of ADIVALOR and now a private consultant on the matter, says that cooperation within the sector is key to the mission.

“The industry is very voluntary on this approach, they are supporting the scheme and improving the eco design of the agri-plastic. For the past two years now, a new range of products has been put in the market, and these products are more circular, meaning that they include recyclable components”, said de Lépinau.

According to de Lépinau, the organization delivers guidelines to the farmers associated in order to ensure that the waste collected by the distributors is sorted correctly. 

The plastic is then collected by distributors and sent for pre-treatment, where it is shredded before reaching the final recycling stage.

ADIVALOR projects a total of approximately 100,000 T of agri-plastic to be treated by 2025.

Pierre de Lépinau was one of the speakers at the Plastic Waste from the Agricultural Sector: Experiences and Best Practices in France and Canada seminar organized by Fundación Chile and Asipla as a part of The Circular Plastic in the Americas Program Chile (CPAP).