Supported by Eau de Paris, FoodChéri abandons the sale of plastic water bottles

The Action Tank approach[1] for a Paris of water with zero plastic waste and the call for mobilization "Here, I choose Paris water" carry the ambition of making Paris a zero plastic waste city by 2024, to anticipate the gradual end of all disposable plastic packaging by 2040.

Delivered at home, without contact and without packaging, tap water is the simplest and most ecological gesture to fight against disposable plastic. Supported by Eau de Paris, as part of the Action Tank, FoodChéri in January 2021 offered all of its Parisian customers the purchase of an eco-designed glass water bottle from the French brand GOBI. The initiative made it possible to test the perception of Parisian consumers to better understand the obstacles to the generalization of tap water.

The order process and a survey carried out by FoodChéri among its customers on the motivations for buying the gourd have made it possible to draw several lessons: 

• Home and out-of-home habits are different: consumers are more likely to drink bottled water during the lunch break because it is often included in the menu or because there are no accessible water.
• For 8 out of 10 respondents, drinking tap water is obvious, it is ecological and economical.
• Almost half of respondents (46%) have changed their consumption habits in recent years to be more concerned about their impact.
• The majority of water bottle holders use it on a daily basis, but its use remains to be developed in the office.

After this first conclusive experiment, FoodChéri decides to definitively stop the sale of plastic water bottles from January 2022. This decision is part of the policy led by FoodChéri to limit the environmental impact of its activities in offering a more sustainable offer. In 2021, FoodChéri was the first restaurateur to display the Eco-score, an environmental indicator, on all dishes and also offers companies a zero-waste offer with returnable and reusable packaging. 

All of the experiments carried out as part of the Action Tank are published in our white paper "Objective: Zero plastic bottles".

^[1] The Action Tank, launched in 2019 by Eau de Paris with Surfrider Foundation Europe and Gobi, a French water bottle manufacturer, now brings together 30 public and private partners* who seek to offer alternative solutions to water bottles depending on the situation (shows , sporting events, demonstrations, etc.).