France
How France runs packaging EPR
Ship packaged goods into France from another country and you carry the same duty as a French brand. Packaging EPR in France reaches whoever first places the packaged product on the market, wherever they sit.
France is the deep end of packaging rules. Household packaging has been covered since 1993 through three competing éco-organismes, Citeo, Adelphe and Leko, and from January 2024 graphic paper was folded into the same EMPAP filière.
For a seller with no French entity, a mandataire route exists, but the codified rule was partly annulled by the Conseil d'État in late 2023 and never consolidated. Treat a French authorised representative as generally required and confirm the current regime.
How registration and reporting work in France
You never register yourself. Your éco-organisme enrols you in SYDEREP and issues your IDU, which must appear in your terms of sale and on your website.
Reporting is annual. You declare the quantities placed on the French market to your éco-organisme, which consolidates every member and files to ADEME through SYDEREP by 30 April.
Your own declaration and invoicing dates are set by each éco-organisme rather than by statute, so Citeo, Adelphe and Leko each publish their own calendar. Treat that as the deadline that binds you.
Enforcement and what is changing in France
Enforcement is administrative under article L541-9-5. Per-unit fines reach 7,500 euros for a company, a flat 30,000 euros applies for failing to register or a missing IDU, and a daily penalty can run to 20,000 euros.
Marketplaces have been liable for their third-party sellers since 2022 and check the IDU in practice.
Professional packaging is the trap. The framework and three approved schemes exist, but the launch was postponed in June 2026 with no fixed date, so anyone writing that it is in force is wrong.
France also has no bottle deposit system. A 2023 decision shelved it and the debate only reopened in May 2026.
Frequently asked questions about packaging EPR in France
Short answers to the questions sellers raise most. The full landscape sits across EPR in France.
What does packaging EPR mean in France?
It is the duty to pay for the end-of-life of the packaging you place on the French market. You join one of three household-packaging éco-organismes, receive an IDU and pay a per-unit or per-weight éco-contribution modulated by how recyclable the packaging is.
Do foreign or online sellers need an authorised representative in France?
A mandataire route exists for producers with no French entity, but the codified rule was partly annulled by the Conseil d'État in late 2023 and has not been consolidated. Treat a French representative as generally required and confirm the current regime before selling.
When are packaging reports due in France?
Your éco-organisme files the consolidated declaration to ADEME by 30 April each year. Your own declaration and payment follow the calendar your éco-organisme sets, so there is no single statutory producer date.
What changes next for packaging EPR in France?
The PPWR applies from 12 August 2026 and adds product rules on top of the fee. Professional-packaging EPR has a framework and three approved schemes but its launch was postponed in June 2026 with no fixed date. There is still no national bottle deposit.
Do marketplaces check packaging registration in France?
Yes. Since 2022 a marketplace is liable for its third-party sellers unless the seller proves compliance, so platforms selling into France routinely ask for a valid IDU. Selling packaged goods through one relies on that, not just goodwill, and single-use plastic items are checked the same way.
