Key takeaways
- EPR applies to all producers selling in France: Manufacturers, importers, and marketplace sellers are responsible for financing the recycling and disposal of their products.
- Multiple product categories are covered: EPR in France includes packaging, electronics, furniture, textiles, and more, plus newer categories such as fishing gear.
- Compliance is mandatory and enforced: Businesses must register for an EPR number and report regularly—non-compliance can lead to fines or marketplace suspension.
In short: EPR in France (Extended Producer Responsibility) makes the businesses that make, import or sell certain products in France pay for their end-of-life recycling and disposal. You must register, get an EPR number for each product category, and report regularly. Failing to register can mean fines of up to €30,000 and marketplace suspension.
Update (October 2026): ADEME now lists 19 approved EPR schemes in France. They include catering packaging (since March 2024) and single-use wipes (since 1 July 2025). All professional packaging joins on 1 January 2027. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has applied since 12 August 2026 and adds an authorised representative rule for cross-border packaging producers. We have also corrected the Triman and penalty sections below.
What is EPR in France?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a French policy framework that makes the manufacturers, importers or distributors of products responsible for those products at end of life. Under EPR in France, businesses help pay for the recycling and disposal of their products. This supports a more sustainable environment. We cover this in more detail in Understanding EPR Germany - A Guide For Businesses.
Who is affected by French EPR regulations?
French EPR regulations apply to your business if you:
- Manufacture a product subject to EPR requirements within France.
- Import a product subject to EPR requirements into France.
- Sell a product subject to EPR requirements in France, even if you are not established there.
If your products fall under the French EPR scheme, you must pay for managing the waste they create. Once you register with the relevant authority, you get a unique identification number (EPR number). You must give this EPR number to buyers.
What must online sellers do to comply with EPR in France?
Online sellers need a UIN for every EPR scheme that covers their products and packaging. They must also label products for sorting and report volumes each year.
- Identify your schemes: check which schemes cover your products. Your packaging falls under the household packaging and graphic papers scheme even if your products do not.
- Join a PRO: sign up with an accredited producer responsibility organisation for each scheme, or run an approved individual system.
- Get your UINs: your PRO registers you in ADEME's SYDEREP tool and sends one UIN per scheme.
- Show your UINs: add them to your terms of sale and website, and enter them in each marketplace seller account.
- Label for sorting: add the Triman logo and sorting instructions (Info-tri) supplied by your PRO.
- Report and pay: declare the products you placed on the French market to your PRO each year and pay its eco-contributions.
These steps follow ADEME's guidance for producers. Sellers based outside France may appoint an authorised representative to handle them.
How does French EPR affect marketplace sellers?
If you sell in France through online marketplaces like Amazon, you must comply with French EPR rules. If you don't, you can face penalties and be suspended from selling in France. Marketplaces ask for proof of compliance, which means giving them your EPR number.
What do marketplaces have to check?
Since 1 January 2022, Article L. 541-10-9 of the Environmental Code makes marketplaces responsible for EPR on third-party sales. They escape this only if they can show the seller already complies.
- Marketplace duties: without that proof, the platform must join a PRO, pay the eco-contribution and declare the products, according to the French ministry for ecological transition.
- Proof accepted: ADEME treats a seller's UIN for each relevant scheme as proof of compliance.
- Own-brand goods: a marketplace is always the producer for products sold under its own brand.
- Public check: anyone can look up a producer's UINs in ADEME's UIN search.
In practice, a missing or invalid UIN for one of your schemes can block your French listings.
Which product categories does EPR cover in France?
French EPR covers the following product categories, which have been added over time since the rules began:
- Packaging
- Electrical & Electronic Equipment (EEE)
- Batteries
- Furniture
- Tires
- Paper
- Textiles
- Construction products
- Sports and leisure
- DIY and gardening articles
- Oils
- Tobacco
- Toys
- Chewing gum
- Sanitary textiles
- Fishing equipment
- Catering packaging
Which EPR schemes does ADEME list in 2026?
ADEME's EPR site lists 19 approved schemes in force as of October 2026:
- Apparel, linen and footwear; batteries; building products; chemical products.
- Electrical and electronic equipment; furnishing; home improvement and gardening.
- Household packaging and graphic papers; lubricants; medical devices; professional packaging.
- Sanitary textile; sport and recreational boats; sports and recreation; tobacco.
- Toys; tyres; unused medicines; vehicles.
The schemes online sellers meet most often, with their accredited PROs according to ADEME:
- Household packaging and graphic papers: Adelphe, Citeo and Léko, accredited from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2029. Packaging and paper merged into one scheme on 1 January 2024.
- Electrical and electronic equipment: ecosystem and Ecologic, plus Soren for photovoltaic panels, accredited from 2022 to 2027.
- Apparel, linen and footwear (TLC): Refashion, accredited from 2023 to 2028.
- Sanitary textile: currently wipes only, since 1 July 2025, through Citeo Soin & Hygiène.
- Professional packaging: catering packaging since March 2024, extended to all professional packaging on 1 January 2027.
How do you get an EPR number in France?
You get your EPR number, officially a Unique Identification Number (UIN), by joining a producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for each scheme that applies to you. The PRO registers you in ADEME's SYDEREP tool and sends you the UIN. You cannot register on your own in a collective scheme.
ADEME issues one UIN per scheme. So you hold as many UINs as there are schemes covering your products, including their packaging. Producers that run an approved individual scheme receive their UIN directly from ADEME.
What information do you need to register?
- Your company name, full postal address, phone number and website (if any).
- For EU companies, your intra-Community VAT number.
- For non-EU companies, your VAT number or, if you have none, the registration number from your home tax authority.
- The product categories your products fall under.
You can appoint an authorised representative to take on your EPR obligations in France. You still need to give them this information so they can register you.
Where must you show your EPR number?
Since 1 January 2022, every producer covered by an EPR scheme in France must have a UIN for each scheme. According to ADEME's guidance on UINs, you must show it:
- In your general terms and conditions of sale, or in another contractual document given to the buyer.
- On your website, alongside your legal company information.
- To any buyer who asks for it.
Marketplaces count as the producer for goods they sell on behalf of third-party sellers. The exception is when they hold proof that the seller already has a UIN for each relevant scheme. This is why platforms ask for your EPR numbers before you can sell in France.
How can EcoTax help with your EPR compliance?
EcoTax makes registering for EPR in France simple. We tell you what information we need and when. Then we handle everything else, so there’s very little you need to do.
Our customer care team manages all the details for you, from start to finish:
- Once we have your information and documents, we register you for an EPR number in each product category that applies. This keeps you compliant throughout.
- If you sell through a marketplace, you can then give it the relevant EPR numbers.
- Your only remaining task is to send periodic EPR reports and any payments due to EcoTax. These eco-payments are based on how many items you sell.
What other obligations does French EPR bring?
French EPR rules also require you to tell consumers how to dispose of your products responsibly. You can do this through labels, packaging or other messages. The Triman logo, for example, must appear on products and packaging covered by an EPR scheme, with sorting instructions.
What are the Triman and Info-tri rules?
Article L. 541-9-3 of the Environmental Code requires products covered by an EPR scheme to carry the Triman logo and sorting instructions. Household glass beverage packaging is excluded.
- Where: on the product or its packaging, or failing that, in documents supplied with the product.
- Packaged products: one logo is enough, placed on the packaging with sorting instructions for both product and packaging, according to ADEME.
- Who designs it: each PRO defines its marking, approved by the ministry. You receive it when you join.
- EU labels: the PPWR plans harmonised EU sorting labels. As of October 2026, France's Triman and Info-tri rules still apply.
What are the penalties for EPR non-compliance in France?
If you fail to register in SYDEREP, report incorrect data or leave your UIN off required documents, you can be fined up to €30,000. If you sell through an online marketplace, non-compliance will get your seller account suspended.
ADEME also lists a daily penalty of up to €20,000 per day until you meet your obligations.
Under Article L. 541-9-5, failing to meet EPR obligations can also lead to a fine of up to €7,500 per unit or tonne of product placed on the market, according to the ministry.
What does the EU PPWR change for EPR in France?
The PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40, entered into force on 11 February 2025 and has applied since 12 August 2026. It sits on top of French EPR rather than replacing it.
- French schemes stay: you still join French PROs, hold a UIN per scheme and report through SYDEREP.
- Authorised representative: a packaging producer selling directly to end users in an EU country where it is not established must appoint an authorised representative there.
- Suspension proposal: in December 2025 the Commission proposed suspending that rule for producers established in another Member State.
- Status: on 24 June 2026, the Council discontinued negotiations, citing strong reservations by a vast majority of Member States. The rule applies.
For related rules, see our guides to WEEE and Spanish plastic tax and EPR.
Key dates for EPR in France
- 1 January 2022: UINs required for every producer, and marketplaces become liable for sellers without proof of compliance.
- 1 January 2024: household packaging and graphic papers merge into one scheme.
- March 2024: catering packaging scheme starts.
- 1 July 2025: wipes scheme (sanitary textile) starts.
- 12 August 2026: the EU PPWR applies.
- 1 January 2027: all professional packaging comes under EPR.
Let Taxually do the hard work
EPR registration can be complex, and each category has its own rules. Expert help is a good idea to avoid mistakes and stay fully compliant. EcoTax by Taxually helps you understand your obligations and register correctly. It also helps you manage your reporting and payments.
Book a free call with one of our experts to find out how we can help your business succeed in this new and evolving regulatory environment.
How Taxually handles this
Taxually’s EcoTax registers you with the right EPR schemes in Germany, France and Spain, provides the registration numbers marketplaces such as Amazon ask for, and handles the periodic volume reports and payments to producer responsibility organisations, including the Spanish plastic packaging tax.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is EPR and why does it matter in France?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) makes producers responsible for funding the collection, recycling, and disposal of their products at end-of-life, promoting sustainability.
Who must comply with French EPR regulations?
Any business that manufactures, imports, or sells EPR-covered products in France—including foreign sellers and marketplace vendors—must register and report.
What types of products fall under EPR in France?
EPR applies to multiple categories such as packaging, electronics, furniture, textiles, toys, and more, including fishing gear.
What happens if a business doesn’t comply?
Non-compliance can lead to fines of up to €30,000, and marketplace sellers risk account suspension until they provide valid EPR registration details.
How do I get an EPR number in France?
You join a producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for each scheme that covers your products. The PRO registers you in ADEME's SYDEREP tool and sends you a Unique Identification Number (UIN) for that scheme.
Do marketplaces have to check my French EPR numbers?
Yes. Since 1 January 2022, marketplaces must cover EPR for third-party sellers unless they hold proof of compliance. A UIN for each relevant scheme counts as that proof.
Do I need the Triman logo on my products in France?
Yes, if your products or packaging are covered by an EPR scheme. You show the Triman logo with sorting instructions. Household glass beverage packaging is excluded.
