France
Selling single-use plastics into France
Single-Use Plastics EPR in France is not one scheme but several, because French law split the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive across separate filières rather than building a single one.
Two national schemes run today. Tobacco products with plastic filters have been covered since January 2021 through Alcome, and single-use sanitary textiles like wet wipes since July 2025 through Citeo Soin & Hygiène.
Cups, plates and other single-use packaging items are handled inside the packaging filière instead. So the first job is working out which of three homes your product sits in before you register anywhere.
Getting your French registration in place
You do not register yourself in any of them. The relevant éco-organisme enrols you and issues an IDU, one per filière, which must appear in your terms of sale and on your website.
| Product | Scheme | Covered since |
|---|---|---|
| Tobacco with plastic filters | Alcome | January 2021 |
| Single-use sanitary textiles | Citeo Soin & Hygiène | July 2025 |
| Cups plates and food packaging | Packaging filière | See packaging |
The IDU for each scheme flows through SYDEREP. There is no volume threshold, so the first unit placed on the French market puts you in scope.
Your reporting duties in France
Reporting is annual. You declare the quantities placed on the French market to the relevant éco-organisme, which consolidates every member and files to ADEME by 30 April.
Your own declaration and payment dates are set by each scheme rather than by statute. Alcome and Citeo Soin & Hygiène each publish their own calendar, so treat that as the date that binds you.
What you pay and to whom in France
There is no register fee. What you pay depends on the scheme, and the tobacco one shows where the money actually goes.
Alcome charges a per-filter contribution, and that money pays municipalities to clean cigarette butts off streets and beaches and to run awareness campaigns. It is litter money as much as recycling money.
For wet wipes, Citeo Soin & Hygiène charges a per-unit contribution funding collection, treatment and public information. Both are modulated under the AGEC primes and pénalités.
If you have no French establishment
You can sell into France without a local entity, but you still owe the duty. A mandataire route exists for foreign producers, though 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 before you sell.
What happens if you skip it in France
Enforcement is administrative under article L541-9-5. Fines reach 7,500 euros per company, a flat 30,000 euros for failing to register, and a daily penalty up to 20,000 euros. Marketplaces have been liable for their sellers since 2022.
The EU rules bite beyond the fee. A listed set of throwaway plastics has been banned since July 2021, marking rules apply to wipes and tobacco filters, and tethered caps have been required on plastic drink bottles since 2024.
More is dated. Plastic drink bottles must carry 30 percent recycled content by 2030, and 90 percent of them must be separately collected by 2029. France has no bottle deposit, so those bottle rules land through the packaging filière, not a return scheme.
Frequently asked questions about single-use plastics EPR in France
Short answers to what sellers ask most. The wider picture sits across EPR in France.
Who has to register for single-use plastics EPR in France?
Whoever first places the relevant product on the French market, maker or importer. Which scheme you join depends on the product: Alcome for tobacco with filters, Citeo Soin & Hygiène for wet wipes, and the packaging filière for cups and food packaging.
How much does single-use plastics EPR cost in France?
There is no register fee. Tobacco carries a per-filter contribution to Alcome, wet wipes a per-unit contribution to Citeo Soin & Hygiène, both modulated under AGEC. Ask the relevant scheme for its current barème.
What happens if I sell without registering?
Enforcement is administrative under article L541-9-5, with fines up to 7,500 euros per company and a flat 30,000 euros for failing to register. Marketplaces are also liable for their sellers, so a missing IDU risks your listing as well as a fine.
Which register covers single-use plastics in France?
SYDEREP, the national register run by ADEME. You do not enter it yourself; your éco-organisme enrols you and issues the IDU for its filière, and you may hold more than one if your range spans schemes.
Can I handle France single-use plastics EPR from abroad?
You can sell from abroad, but a producer with no French entity is expected to appoint a mandataire to carry the duty. Because the codified rule was struck down in late 2023 and not replaced, confirm the current representative regime before relying on it.
