France
What makes France different on sports gear
Sports & Leisure EPR in France is the only scheme of its kind in Europe, and a marketplace can shut you out of it. Since 2022 a platform is liable for its sellers, so it will ask for your registration number before it lets you list.
That is the quirk worth knowing. No other country runs a producer duty on sports and leisure equipment. France created it under the AGEC law and it has been live since January 2022, with a single éco-organisme, Ecologic, handling the whole stream.
Greece has listed sports equipment for a future scheme, but nothing runs there yet, so for now France is the only place the duty actually bites.
Where your products fall in France
Say you ship rackets, tents or fitness gear from another country to buyers in France. The duty follows the sale. You are the producer if you are the first professional to place the equipment on the French market, whether you made it or imported it.
The scope is deliberately broad. Any equipment for indoor or outdoor sport, camping and recreation is caught, from small accessories to large kit, whatever the material.
Where sports and leisure producers register
You do not register yourself. You join Ecologic, which enrols you in SYDEREP and issues your IDU, one number per producer per filière. That number must then appear in your terms of sale and on your website.
Reporting is annual. You declare the quantities placed on the French market to Ecologic, which consolidates every member and files to ADEME by 30 April. Ecologic sets your own declaration date.
Cost never touches the register. ADEME charges nothing. The bill is a per-article éco-contribution to Ecologic, nudged up or down under the AGEC primes and pénalités depending on the product.
Distance sellers and France
If you have no French entity, you still owe the duty, and this is the point to handle with care. 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, then confirm the current regime before you sell.
Skipping registration carries administrative fines and the marketplace block above.
Frequently asked questions about French sports and leisure EPR
Short answers to what sellers ask most. The wider picture sits across EPR in France.
Who has to register for sports & leisure EPR in France?
Any professional who first places sport, camping or recreation equipment on the French market, maker or importer. There is no volume threshold, so even a small foreign seller shipping into France is in scope from the first sale.
How much does sports & leisure EPR cost in France?
There is no register fee; ADEME charges nothing. You pay a per-article éco-contribution to Ecologic, set by its annual barème and modulated under the AGEC primes and pénalités. Ask Ecologic for the current rate for your product.
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. Since 2022 marketplaces are also liable for their sellers, so a missing IDU can cost you the listing too.
Which register covers sports & leisure in France?
SYDEREP, the national register run by ADEME. You do not enter it yourself; Ecologic enrols you and issues the IDU that proves your registration, the same number a marketplace will ask to see.
Can I handle France sports & leisure 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.