Description
The project sets out to support 50 restaurateurs of the fenua — across the towns of Papeete, Faa’a and Punaauia — in reducing their use of single-use plastic. In practice, that support takes the form of a committed network: meetings, sessions for the owners and staff of the roulottes, the distribution of booklets on sustainable alternatives, the signing of a commitment charter and the roll-out of concrete measures. The restaurateurs are engaged and supported in moving from a linear economy, built on a throwaway logic, to a circular business model.
The project is funded by ADEME, in partnership with DIREN (the Environment Department of French Polynesia), CCISM, Te mana o te moana, FENUA MA and NANA SAC PLASTIQUE.
Objectives
- Carry out a field survey and a literature review
- Design and publish tools to run the network
- Create and run the network of committed roulottes
- Support and follow the member roulottes for 10 months
- Run a communications campaign around the project
Environmental background
French Polynesia stretches across a vast territory made up largely of ocean, with exceptional marine biodiversity. Sadly, overexploitation of resources, current consumption habits and above all plastic waste pollution threaten this local wealth. The many clean-ups run by Te mana o te moana over nearly twenty years show how far waste from takeaway food sales dominates what is found in nature — and ends up in the ocean.
Cultural background
The roulottes (food trucks) are an emblem of fast food in French Polynesia. Set up by the roadside, they are part of everyday Polynesian life. Over the years new habits appeared and plastic settled into daily use: trays, cling film, plastic plates, cups, bottles and more.
Legal background
The gradual introduction of territorial laws aimed at reducing single-use plastic.
Programme of sessions
- Session 1: Understanding the law on reducing single-use plastic (ADEME, DIREN, TMOTM)
- Session 2: Waste management in French Polynesia (Fenua Ma)
- Session 3: Open forum on what restaurateurs need (Nana Sac Plastique)
- Session 4: Meeting suppliers offering alternatives to single-use plastic (CCISM)
- Session 5: Meeting restaurateurs who have begun the transition (Nana Sac Plastique)
Resources
To learn more about the legislative changes around reducing single-use plastic and the alternatives already available, do download our booklet!
The “Heading for a plastic-free future” forum, 12 November 2025
Te mana o te moana and the Tahiti Hotel School ran a day full of exchange as part of the forum “Heading for a plastic-free future”, held within the “Committed restaurateurs, protected lagoon” project. The two round tables gave students and the public the chance:
- to better understand what is at stake in plastic consumption and its impact on marine biodiversity in French Polynesia;
- to discuss the legislative changes around reducing single-use plastic and the alternatives already available, alongside DIREN, CCISM, Nana Sac Plastique, Fenua Ma, Te mana o te moana, as well as suppliers of committed containers (Biobase Tahiti, AU’A Tahiti — Coconut bowls, Tahiti EcoBox and Aimeho by Fenua Smart) and Tahiti Kombucha.
Partners
