Country brief
France uses national EPR identifiers and stream-specific reporting routes. Household packaging, professional packaging, and other EPR streams must be assessed separately because they do not automatically share one registration, scheme, or declaration process.
Under the current PPWR rule, an EU company selling packaged products directly to end users in France must appoint an EPR authorised representative there. French law requires a France-established AR for a person established outside France and subject to EPR. A pending EU proposal may suspend the EU cross-border rule, but it has not changed current law.
PPWR still requires annual packaging data below 10 tonnes; the dataset is simplified rather than exempt, and a Member State can set a lower simplification limit or require quarterly reporting. The under-10,000 consumer-unit route is a simplified scheme declaration, not an EPR exemption.
The EPR route for catering packaging has operated since March 2024. The extension to all professional packaging is scheduled to become operational on 1 January 2027; the older 1 July 2026 date has been superseded. Recheck the applicable stream and effective date before acting.[5][6]
Legal requirements
This is general information based on the official sources linked below. The answer still depends on the legal entity, transaction, recipient, packaging stream, and rule in force.
The Identifiant Unique, or IDU, is issued within the national EPR framework and relates to a particular EPR stream; it is not one universal EU registration number.[1][3]
A producer may need to register in SYDEREP, join an approved eco-organisation or operate an individual system, and submit the data required for the relevant stream.[3][4][5]
A person that is subject to French EPR and is not established in France must appoint, by written mandate, a France-established mandataire. First confirm that the person and stream are in scope and whether the deemed-satisfaction rule applies.[2]
Information needed
Typical workflow
Separate household, professional, and any other relevant EPR categories.
Confirm the IDU, eco-organisation route, and mandataire requirement.
Map packaging data to the current scheme and retain submission evidence.
What smbf.me can help with
smbf.me can map the relevant French packaging stream, identify IDU and eco-organisation checkpoints, and prepare a structured data checklist or reviewed output. Registration, mandataire, and filing support must be confirmed for the specific engagement.
These are service boundaries, not a legal conclusion. The local authority, register, scheme, AR, or filing recipient decides acceptance.
Primary evidence
Sources checked on 13 September 2026. Open each source and verify its current effective version before a legal or filing decision.
Common questions
No. Treat each applicable stream and its identifier separately.
Not automatically. Establish the packaging stream before choosing the scheme and declaration path.
Current official material points to 1 January 2027 for the extension to all professional packaging. Catering packaging already has an operating route, and the exact stream must be confirmed.
Next step
Open the country view for the local steps and official sources, or connect your orders and let smbf.me organise the route.