5 French beaches that respect the environment

No more cigarette butts in the sand. Since 1985, the Blue Flag label created by Teragir rewards beaches that adopt measures that allow them to welcome the public while protecting the environment. In 2022, 27 beaches and 9 marinas joined its ranking, bringing to 536 the number of French sites that can raise its blue flag. France is the 4th country in the ranking in terms of the number of labeled sites.

The stakes are high, and particularly with regard to waste: according to the report “Environmental management of beaches and their surroundings” by GIP Littoral published in 2021, in France, “participatory cleaning operations have highlighted that almost eight out of ten wastes collected on beaches and at sea were single-use plastics, the most frequently encountered were cigarette butts, bottles and bags, accompanied by fragments of plastics and polystyrene. The Blue Flag label takes into account waste management in its criteria, but also water management, transport (especially for people with reduced mobility), and environmental awareness.

In France, several beaches have implemented measures to regulate the arrival of holidaymakers. In a press release published on August 19, 2022, the municipality of Ramatuelle (Var) is pleased to have completed its program for Pampelonne beach, initiated in 2018: “90,000 cuttings reinstalled, less buildings, more flowers, fewer cars , more bikes, less motors, more smoothness,” she says. Beach cleaning is now done with donkeys, and for the 2022 season, “the municipality has launched free beach shuttles from the (free) car parks in the village”. Other labeled beaches have also taken steps to preserve natural environments. Planet has selected five of them.