Since 2022, Institut du Commerce – France’s leading collaborative platform connecting over 230 companies across the retail and consumer goods ecosystem – has organized regular sessions of Plastic Collage, a card-based workshop that guides participants through the full lifecycle of plastics, from raw material to end of life, and towards collective action.
Thirteen sessions, 164 participants, and some familiar names
Gathering nearly 200 participants from across Institut du Commerce’s member network, the list of participating companies reads like a who’s who of the French consumer goods and retail landscape, but also includes several international brands – including many present in Japan. In the food and beverages sector for instance, participants from Danone, Ferrero, Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, Savencia or Suntory / Orangina Schweppes have joined the program. In luxury and beauty, companies that joined the sessions include Chanel, Clarins, Guerlain, Kering and Sephora. Represented sectors also include packaging, chemicals, materials, retail, as well as public institutions including a member of France’s Prime Minister Cabinet.
The range of sectors represented reflects something important: plastic is not a niche issue. It cuts across every industry that produces, packages, or sells physical goods, and the companies that showed up to this workshop understood that.
A Japanese company in the room – in France
One participant stands out for readers in Japan: Suntory / Orangina Schweppes. In 2009, Japanese beverage giant Suntory acquired the French Orangina Schweppes Group, gaining a significant foothold in the European soft drinks market. The French entity, now operating as Suntory Beverage & Food France, markets iconic brands including Orangina, Schweppes, Oasis, and Pulco across Europe. In number of participating employees in the Plastic Collage sessions at Institut du Commerce, Suntory / Orangina Schweppes tops the list!
Why this matters in Japan
Several of the brands in this list are present in Japan and familiar to Japanese consumers. The plastic challenge they are grappling with in Europe is the same one their Japanese operations face – often on the final customer side as for many of these companies, products sold in Japan are manufactured and packaged outside of Japan.
For companies in Japan looking to build their teams’ understanding of plastic issues, from packaging design to circular economy solutions, the Plastic Collage offers exactly that: a hands-on, science-based workshop that makes a complex topic tangible, collaborative, and actionable.
About Institut du Commerce
Founded in 2017 from the merger of three long-standing French industry associations, Institut du Commerce (“Trade Institute”) is the leading collaborative platform connecting the French retail and consumer goods ecosystem. Its network of more than 230 member companies spans manufacturers, retailers, logistics providers, and service companies across 15 sectors, from food and beverages to beauty, home goods, and beyond. It serves as a neutral space where industry and retail players work together on shared challenges, from supply chain efficiency to sustainability. The Plastic Collage sessions it has been hosting since 2022 are a natural extension of that mission.
About the Plastic Collage
The Plastic Collage follows the same pedagogical approach as the Climate Fresk: a collaborative, card-based workshop grounded in scientific and industrial realities. Participants map the full lifecycle of plastics, from raw material extraction to production, consumption, and end of life, and work together to identify levers for change. The “Fresque du Plastique” association behind it was created in March 2022 by Philippe Reutenauer, a chemist by training who spent eleven years working in consumer goods packaging before dedicating his work to making the complexity of plastic issues accessible to as many people as possible.
