The Government has launched the “Responsible Trade” (Commerce Engagé) label, with a goal to identify registered businesses in terms of their ecological, economic and social responsibility.
The Responsible Trade label is free and participatory, and highlights eco-responsible businesses while offering them personalised support through meetings and exchanges with a network of partners towards a sustainable approach to consumption.
The label is to be used with a set of specifications that have been defined in consultation with commerce in the Principality, which commit the country to the following actions: the reduction and sorting of waste; the sorting and reuse of packaging; use of local supply; and energy savings and resource management.
The initiative is not entirely new. In 2014, the Government launched a Responsible Trade approach with a focus on reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
In the first phase of this eco-responsible initiative, retailers were given support in preparing for and implementing the Sovereign Ordinance on the prohibition of plastic bags and plastic utensils.
Then, in early 2015, the Department of the Environment met with more than 200 local businesses that were using plastic bags to explore possible alternatives and discuss waste management and recycling.
This study showed that for more than 95 percent of Monegasque trader are concerned, to various degrees, about protecting the environment