Free water in restaurants: six months on, poor compliance.
Since last August, bars and restaurants in the French region of Fenua (French Polynesia) have been required to offer free water in carafes to customers who drink on the premises. The law on the reduction of plastic and disposable products even requires this option to be clearly displayed on the menu, in the dining room or on the terrace. More than six months after the law came into force, compliance is poor: carafes are often served on request, but displays are rare in the urban area. And customers are often unaware that they can order free water.
The fight against disposable products is well underway. Since August 2024, when the law to reduce the use of disposable products was passed, the Environmental Code has required catering establishments connected to a drinking water network to provide free water to their customers. According to several restaurant owners, this rule has been in place for a long time. “It’s a matter of logic. If a customer wants a glass of water and drinks on the premises, we provide it“, explains a restaurant on Papeete’s seafront. Restaurants in Punaauia and bars in the centre of town also show goodwill. And yet, several managers admit that it was not in vain to set this obligation in stone.
“This law will set things straight and stop us from forcing things on people. I think that when customers come to buy from you, they may not be able to afford to pay 600 francs for a bottle of water. Or maybe they don’t want to consume plastic, because a lot of water bottles are made of plastic”, explains the manager of La Petite Maison in Fare Tony. “There are many different approaches and you have to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. We want them to come back, so we have to take care of them.”
Widespread failure to display signs
And yet the law, which came into force six months ago, is only being applied to a very limited extent in the city. This is because none of the facilities we visited are complying with the other aspect of the new regulations: the visible display of this option to customers. This information requirement is intended to encourage more consumers to ask for free water instead of buying plastic bottles. And only establishments without access to a drinking water network – which still have to offer bottled water free or at cost price – are exempt.
When asked about the lack of signage, several restaurant owners claimed they were simply unaware of this part of the regulations. “We have no choice but to comply. It’s a step in the right direction in terms of ecology and reducing plastic, so we’ll play along. Obviously it means less sales, but if a customer asks us for a carafe of water, we give them one. We’ve been doing it for years. If we have to display it, no problem, we’ll do it today. We’d heard about this law and it’s very welcome,” says Dany Dana, owner of the Patachou patisserie and café.
What’s likely to happen
In recent days, the Direction de l’Environnement (Diren) has launched an information campaign on social networks, aimed at both professionals and customers, so that they can assert their rights. The Diren is also working on a standard notice that it will propose to bars and restaurants in the coming months. It should be noted that the law provides for fines of up to 1,500,000 francs for establishments that do not comply with the rule.
