French EPR compliance,
designed for sellers in the United Kingdom.
Since Brexit, UK brands selling into France are treated as non-EU producers under French EPR law. The same way US or Chinese sellers do, you must appoint a French authorized representative for each EPR stream your products fall under.
When the obligation kicks in.
Brexit completed on 1 January 2021 and definitively removed the United Kingdom from the EU intra-community trade regime. From that date, UK companies have the same EPR obligations in France as US or Chinese producers: registration via a French representative is the only practical path.
Three enforcement pressures.
Amazon France suspends UK seller listings missing a French IDU, regardless of whether the seller has a separate UK LWaste compliance scheme registration. The two systems are now legally independent, and French marketplaces verify French registration only. Penalties under L. 541-9-6 reach 30,000 EUR per non-compliant product.
Marketplaces and storefronts.
UK brands typically sell via Amazon FR FBA (one fulfillment hub feeding French customers), Shopify (D2C), eBay France, and ManoMano for home and garden brands. We have particular experience with UK D2C brands using Shopify with cross-border GBP-to-EUR checkout configurations.
- A London streetwear brand on Shopify shipping into France in EUR
- A Manchester power tool manufacturer suspended on ManoMano for missing IDU
- A Glasgow whisky brand exporting bottles to French wine merchants
- A Bristol natural skincare brand selling on Amazon FR FBA
The streams UK-based sellers most often need.
Household packaging
Required for any product sold to French consumers in packaging (boxes, polybags, fillers, bottles, jars).
Stream details →Electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
Required for any product with a plug, battery, cable or electronic component sold to French consumers.
Stream details →Textile, household linen and footwear (TLC)
Required for any apparel, linen or footwear product shipped to French consumers.
Stream details →Furniture (DEA)
Required for any item of furniture, mattress or bedding shipped to French consumers, plus most home decor.
Stream details →Portable batteries and accumulators
Required for standalone portable batteries, plus rechargeable cells embedded in any device.
Stream details →Toys
Required for any toy intended for use by children under 14, shipped to French consumers.
Stream details →United Kingdom-specific questions.
- I am still a member of the UK Packaging Recovery Notes scheme. Does that count?
- No. The UK PRN system is separate from the French EPR system. You need a separate French registration through Citeo or Léko, regardless of your UK compliance status.
- My fulfillment is in Belgium or Netherlands, not the UK. Does it matter?
- The trigger is the destination market (France), not the dispatch country. If your products end up with a French consumer, you need French EPR registration. Belgian or Dutch fulfillment does not avoid the obligation.
- How long does Brexit-related registration take?
- Same as for any non-EU producer: 2 to 3 weeks from mandate signature to IDU issuance. There is no Brexit-specific delay; the system treats UK companies as standard non-EU producers since 1 January 2021.