Selling into France from abroad? We register you with the French eco-organisations, obtain your IDU and file your declarations, for a fixed fee per stream.
2026 scales withdrawn, start on 1 January 2027. The 2026 professional packaging scales were withdrawn when contributions moved to 2027. Citeo Pro, Léko Pro and Twiice published their 2027 scales in October 2026 (Twiice on 15 October; Citeo Pro and Léko Pro may still change). Compare them on our comparator. Register now; contributions and identifiers start on 1 January 2027.
The question comes up in every conversation with a foreign producer: "what does professional packaging EPR cost?" The answer changed twice in 2026. The three accredited eco-organisms published 2026 scales in June; the launch planned for 1 July 2026 was postponed sine die on 26 June 2026, then set for 1 January 2027 by the ministry's official press release of 28 July 2026. The 2026 scales were then withdrawn, and the 2027 scales, published in October 2026, are the ones that will apply to the first contributions.
Key points
- Professional packaging: any packaging that is not household packaging. Under the arrêté of 2 December 2025, pallets and palletisation items are always professional; transport packaging is professional, except for products sold online to households; grouped packaging is professional, except multipacks split at the point of sale; sales packaging is professional only when the product is designed exclusively for professionals and nobody sells it to households.
- Three eco-organisms accredited by arrêtés of 3 June 2026 (Journal officiel of 24 June 2026): Citeo Pro, Léko Pro and Twiice.
- Contributions and identifiers start on 1 January 2027, with no retroactive effect. Professional packaging (EPRO): registration is open now, eco-contributions from 1 January 2027.
- Scales: the 2026 ones are withdrawn; the 2027 ones were published in October 2026 by each of the three eco-organisms.
- Producer with no French establishment, EU or non-EU: a France-established representative is mandatory.
- Lecteur francophone ? Lisez la version française de ce guide.
Which scale applies in 2026 and 2027?#
In 2026, none: no eco-contribution is due on professional packaging placed on the market in 2026, and the 2026 scales published in June were withdrawn with the postponement. From 1 January 2027, each eco-organism applies its 2027 scale, published in October 2026. Read the current version on your eco-organism's site (Citeo Pro, Léko Pro or Twiice); we compare the three on your real mix in the quote.
The timeline that led there:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 10 Feb 2020 | The AGEC law (n° 2020-105) sets the legal basis |
| 17 Nov 2025 | Décret n° 2025-1081 creates the stream |
| 2 Dec 2025 | Arrêté setting the eco-organisms' cahier des charges |
| 1 Jan 2026 | The stream's legal framework enters into force |
| 3 Jun 2026 | Citeo Pro, Léko Pro and Twiice accredited (Journal officiel of 24 June 2026) |
| 26 Jun 2026 | Sine-die postponement of the 1 July 2026 launch |
| 28 Jul 2026 | Ministry press release: start set for 1 January 2027 |
| October 2026 | Citeo Pro and Léko Pro publish their 2027 scales, which may still change; Twiice publishes its 2027 scale on 15 October |
| 1 Jan 2027 | Contributions and identifiers start; the food-service stream folds in |
| Early 2028 | First declaration of actual 2027 volumes |
What counts as professional packaging?#
Professional packaging is any packaging that is not household packaging. Under the arrêté of 2 December 2025, pallets and palletisation items are always professional; transport packaging is professional, except for products sold online to households; grouped packaging is professional, except multipacks split at the point of sale; sales packaging is professional only when the product is designed exclusively for professionals and nobody sells it to households. The test is therefore the type of packaging, then the product, not the buyer: a consumer product sold to a company keeps household sales packaging.
Within that scope, the stream covers sales, grouping and transport packaging:
- Sales packaging: drums, jerricans, crates, tubs and pails, bags.
- Grouping packaging: cardboard cases and boxes.
- Transport packaging: pallets (wood, plastic or cardboard), stretch and shrink films, dunnage and corner protectors, big bags.
- Named in the texts: intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and drums over 29 litres.
Materials covered: cardboard, paper, plastic, wood, metal (steel, aluminium), glass and textile.
Excluded, because other schemes cover them: packaging of mineral and synthetic oils, hazardous chemical products, construction products (the PMCB stream, see Valobat vs Ecominéro) and agricultural supplies.
Need a French EPR representative for your business?
We are EPR France specialists for foreign sellers. Fixed annual fee per stream, from €190/year excl. VAT, confirmed in a written quote within one business day. IDU on each eco-organisation’s real timing.
Who must register?#
The producer for this stream is the business that packs, or has packed, products to place them on the French market, or that imports a packaged product placed on the French market: manufacturers, brand owners, importers, wholesalers, distributors and online sellers.
Producers not established in France. A written mandate under Article L. 541-10-9-1 of the French Environmental Code, created by Law No. 2026-602 of 8 July 2026. Since 10 July 2026, any producer not established in France and subject to EPR must appoint a representative established in France, for every stream. For packaging, Article 45 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) adds the same requirement at EU level. Since 12 August 2026, Article 45 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 requires a producer that makes packaging available in a member state where it is not established, including from another EU country, to appoint an authorised representative for extended producer responsibility in that member state.
How is the eco-contribution calculated?#
The cahier des charges' structuring principle: each material finances its own chain. Cardboard pays for cardboard's end of life, plastic for plastic's, with no hidden cross-subsidy. Your eco-contribution is calculated in three steps:
- Tonnage per material. You declare, material by material, the quantities placed on the French market, mainly per tonne (where household packaging is often counted per consumer unit).
- The base rate per material, from your eco-organism's 2027 scale.
- Eco-modulation: bonuses reduce the contribution, penalties raise it, depending on how the packaging is designed.
What moves your eco-contribution?#
Eco-modulation works on four axes set by the cahier des charges:
- Source reduction: less material per package, so less declared tonnage.
- Reusability: packaging designed for reuse and managed in an operational system leaves the contributory scale.
- Recyclability: mono-material packaging without sorting disruptors is rewarded; inseparable combinations are penalised.
- Recycled content (plastics): incorporating recycled plastic reduces the contribution on that share.
For the general mechanics of EPR bonuses and penalties, see our eco-modulation guide.
Does reused packaging pay?#
No. Reused professional packaging managed within an operational reuse system is declared in a dedicated reuse report but is not subject to the eco-contribution. The cahier des charges also requires eco-organisms to devote at least 5% of contributions to reuse, with a target of 40% of transport packaging reused by 2030, then 70% by 2040. On recycling, the priority is professional plastics, with a 55% target in 2030. For a producer shipping on pallets, returnable crates or IBCs, reuse is the first savings lever.
What did the withdrawn 2026 scales contain?#
Withdrawn, for the record only. The amounts below come from the 2026 scales published in June 2026 and withdrawn when contributions moved to 2027. They apply to no placement on the market and must not be used to budget 2027: only the 2027 scales published in October 2026 count.
| Material (withdrawn 2026 scales, € excl. VAT per tonne) | Léko Pro | Twiice | Citeo Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastics | 217.80 | 217.56 | 217.90 |
| Paper-cardboard | 34.72 | 34.67 | 34.70 |
| Wood | 8.08 | 8.98 | 9.00 |
What these withdrawn grids taught remains useful to prepare 2027: the three eco-organisms were almost aligned on the big B2B items, plastic weighed about six times cardboard and more than twenty times wood, and the gaps between eco-organisms were on metals and residual materials. Cutting shipping plastic (film, dunnage) was the first lever, ahead of eco-modulation. Check those orders of magnitude against the 2027 scales.
Citeo Pro, Léko Pro or Twiice: which one?#
| Eco-organism | Profile |
|---|---|
| Citeo Pro | B2B arm of Citeo, already running the food-service stream that folds in on 1 January 2027 |
| Léko Pro | B2B offering of challenger Léko, multi-material |
| Twiice | 100% professional packaging specialist, plastics and reuse focus |
All three apply the same regulatory architecture. Compare their 2027 scales on three axes: the rate on your dominant materials, the bonuses you can actually capture, and whether you can group your other streams. We currently register clients with Léko Pro and Twiice; for Citeo Pro, we confirm availability with your quote. For household packaging, see Citeo vs Léko vs Adelphe.
When do you declare and pay?#
- Now: membership of the eco-organism and a provisional declaration of your placements.
- 1 January 2027: eco-contributions start and identifiers are activated.
- Early 2028: first declaration of actual 2027 volumes (before 1 March under Citeo Pro's standard contract), then a settlement against the provisional declaration.
- Then: an annual declaration of the previous year's quantities.
Your eco-contributions stay invoiced to you and paid by you directly to the eco-organisation. The detailed timeline is in our EPRO 2027 calendar, and every deadline by eco-organism in the declaration deadlines calendar.
What does compliance cost?#
1. The eco-contribution, on your eco-organism's 2027 scale, per tonne and per material, after eco-modulation. The eco-organism invoices it to you directly.
2. Our representative fee, if you have no French establishment. Your annual fee is a fixed amount per stream and per calendar year, independent of your eco-contributions. It depends on the declaration regime and frequency, the number of references and, above EUR 1,000 of eco-contribution per stream, its size. It is fixed in writing for the year and can only change for the following year, notified in writing by 15 September, or during the year if your scope changes, for example a new stream or a change of declaration regime. We take no percentage on your eco-contributions.
3. The security deposit. A refundable security deposit equal to one year of your estimated eco-contributions, at least the eco-organisation's minimum billing, paid once by separate transfer to a dedicated account, never invoiced. It covers sums left unpaid under the mandate and is returned within sixty days of the end of the mandate, once the last contributions are paid.
What does doing nothing cost?#
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Administrative fine, no registration or no IDU (L. 541-9-5) | up to EUR 30,000 |
| Sanction per unit or tonne placed on the market in breach (L. 541-9-5) | up to EUR 7,500 |
Amounts from Article L. 541-9-5 of the French Environmental Code, checked on Légifrance on 6 October 2026. French distributors and B2B marketplaces increasingly ask suppliers for a valid identifier. See our EPR penalties guide.
What should a foreign producer do now?#
- Classify your packaging by type, then by product: pallets, transport packaging (except online sales to households) and packaging of products made only for professionals go to the professional stream; the rest stays household packaging.
- Map it by material: cardboard, plastics, wood, metal, glass, with tonnages; that is the input to the scale.
- Identify transport packaging you could move to reuse, which leaves the contributory scale.
- Appoint your French representative if you have no establishment in France; our authorized representative page explains the role.
- Register now; contributions and identifiers start on 1 January 2027.
What do we take charge of?#
You remain the producer. Under the written mandate required by Article L. 541-10-9-1 of the French Environmental Code, we take charge of and answer for your registration, your identifier, your declarations, the exchanges with the eco-organisation and audits, and the archiving of your files. Your eco-contributions stay invoiced to you and paid by you directly to the eco-organisation.
Request a written quote: we reply within one business day.
Frequently asked questions#
Which professional packaging rates apply in France in 2026 and 2027?#
None in 2026: the 2026 professional packaging scales were withdrawn when contributions moved to 2027. Eco-contributions and identifiers start on 1 January 2027, and Citeo Pro, Léko Pro and Twiice published their 2027 scales in October 2026 (Twiice on 15 October; Citeo Pro and Léko Pro may still change). The obligation to register already exists: register now; contributions and identifiers start on 1 January 2027.
What counts as professional packaging?#
Professional packaging is any packaging that is not household packaging. Under the arrêté of 2 December 2025, pallets and palletisation items are always professional; transport packaging is professional, except for products sold online to households; grouped packaging is professional, except multipacks split at the point of sale; sales packaging is professional only when the product is designed exclusively for professionals and nobody sells it to households. Drums, jerricans, crates, cases, pallets, stretch film, dunnage, big bags and intermediate bulk containers typically fall in scope, in cardboard, paper, plastic, wood, metal, glass or textile.
How is the professional packaging eco-contribution calculated?#
Material by material, mainly per tonne of packaging placed on the market, under the cahier des charges' structuring principle: each material finances its own chain. The base rate is then modulated by bonuses and penalties (eco-modulation) that reward source reduction, reusability, recyclability and, for plastics, recycled content. You declare quantities and materials; the eco-organism applies its 2027 scale.
Do reused packaging items pay the eco-contribution?#
No. Reused professional packaging managed within an operational reuse system is declared in a dedicated reuse report but is not subject to the eco-contribution. The cahier des charges also requires eco-organisms to devote at least 5% of contributions to reuse, targeting 40% of transport packaging reused by 2030 and 70% by 2040.
When do I declare and pay?#
Eco-contributions start on 1 January 2027, with no retroactive effect: packaging placed on the market in 2026 is not invoiced. At adhesion you file a provisional declaration; the first declaration of actual volumes covers 2027 placements, in early 2028 (before 1 March under Citeo Pro's standard contract), then the declaration becomes annual on the previous year. Your eco-contributions stay invoiced to you and paid by you directly to the eco-organisation.
Does a foreign producer need a French representative for professional packaging?#
Yes. Since 10 July 2026, any producer not established in France and subject to EPR must appoint a representative established in France, for every stream (Article L. 541-10-9-1 of the French Environmental Code, created by Law No. 2026-602 of 8 July 2026). For packaging, Article 45 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) adds the same requirement at EU level. This applies to companies established in another EU country too.
Citeo Pro, Léko Pro or Twiice: which one?#
All three apply the same regulatory architecture (material-by-material financing, eco-modulation, non-contributory reuse) but each publishes its own scale. Compare their 2027 scales on your real material mix, the bonuses you can actually capture and whether you want to group your other streams. We currently register clients with Léko Pro and Twiice; for Citeo Pro, we confirm availability with your quote.
Is the professional scale the same as the household one?#
No. They are two separate streams, with separate identifiers, separate scales and separate declarations. The household scale (Citeo, Léko, Adelphe) applies to packaging of products sold to households, including when a business buys them; the professional scale, mainly per tonne, applies to professional packaging: pallets, transport packaging (except online sales to households) and packaging of products made only for professionals.
Sources & references#
Regulatory claims trace back to the following official sources. Penalties checked on Légifrance on 6 October 2026.
- Décret n° 2025-1081 du 17 novembre 2025 instituant la filière REP des emballages professionnels, Légifrance
- Arrêté du 2 décembre 2025 portant cahier des charges de la filière REP des emballages professionnels, Légifrance
- Ministry press release: operational start of the professional packaging EPR stream
- Professional packaging, Ministère de la Transition écologique
- Professional packaging REP stream (EPRO / EIC), ADEME
- Article L. 541-9-5 of the French Environmental Code (penalties), Légifrance
- Citeo Pro, Léko Pro, Twiice
- Professional packaging EPR start postponed (26 June 2026), actu-environnement
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