Its first committee comprised Georges Champetier (President), Charles Sadron and René Riou (Vice-presidents), André Kovacs (Secretary general) and Constant Wippler (Treasurer).

Since its founding, the presidency of the GFP has alternated between researchers based in academia and industry, while the secretary has always been a member of the Institut Charles Sadron (originally the CRM).

In 2002, a similar agreement with the Société française de physique created a common "Polymer" Division between the two organizations.

Its flagship event is the Colloque national du GFP, held each November in a different French city, with a typical attendance of 180-250 participants.

In 2004, the GFP joined forces with the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry to promote education in polymer science in French-speaking countries.