French EPR compliance,
for UK-based sellers.
A UK company selling into France is a producer outside France and outside the EU. Its UK packaging EPR, WEEE and batteries registrations cover the UK only, so French sales need French memberships, French identifiers and, since 10 July 2026, a representative established in France. We are that representative, for French EPR only.
What brings producers to us
I need to be compliant in France, fast.
A written quote within one business day, a mandate signed online and your membership filed within two business days of payment. Then the identifier comes on each eco-organisation’s real timing, which we state upfront.
What happens after you sign →Nobody on my team understands French EPR.
You hand the whole obligation to a specialist established in France: 19 streams, several eco-organisations each, scales that change every year. You send your sales data; we qualify your streams, choose the eco-organisation, file the membership and the declarations, handle audits and keep the archive.
How the mandate works →I want an expert, not a form.
A team that does French EPR only, in English and French, in writing, qualifies each product before registration: the right stream, eco-organisation and category. We take charge of, and answer for, your registration and your declarations.
Who you deal with →I want to know the full cost upfront.
From €190/year excl. VAT per stream, then a fixed fee stated in writing in your quote. Three typical year-one budgets are published, and we take no percentage on eco-contributions.
Year-one budgets →I’m afraid of fines and of getting it wrong.
Up to €30,000, and up to €7,500 per unit or tonne for a company or €1,500 for an individual (Article L. 541-9-5), from the first unit sold: there is no threshold. A UK or German registration does not cover France, and some eco-organisations backdate membership; we tell you before you sign.
Penalties explained →A marketplace asks for my French EPR number, or has suspended my listings.
It wants the unique identifier (IDU) of each stream, issued after membership of an approved eco-organisation; since 10 July 2026 a seller not established in France needs a representative established in France to get it. A marketplace that takes on EPR for you covers only what it sells for you, and only until you register yourself.
The marketplace EPR number, step by step →When does French EPR start for a company based in the United Kingdom?
The obligation starts with the first product a UK company places on the French market: an Amazon.fr order, a parcel from a UK or EU warehouse to a French customer, a delivery to a French shop that does not import the goods itself. Since the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020, those goods enter France from a third country, but the French test is simpler still: no establishment in France means a French representative.
Is a French representative compulsory for a company based in the United Kingdom?
Yes, for any company with no establishment in France that places products subject to EPR on the French market. 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.
We take charge of, and answer for, your registration, your identifier, your declarations, the exchanges with the eco-organisation and audits. You remain the producer and pay your eco-contributions directly to the eco-organisation.
If you already hold a French eco-organism membership with no representative recorded on the file, it no longer satisfies the statute on its own: a representative has to be appointed and the mandate registered with each eco-organism. That is a file update rather than a re-registration, so the IDU does not have to be lost. Our breakdown of law n° 2026-602 sets out the scope, the conditions of the mandate and the regularisation path.
You already report under UK packaging EPR: what carries over to France, and what does not?
Your UK packaging EPR registration does not cover France, which works stream by stream, with one approved eco-organisation and one identifier per stream. The weight-by-material data you prepare for the UK is often a good basis, but the French declaration also asks for units sold, and Info-tri labelling is specific to France.
Your UK WEEE compliance scheme, your UK batteries registration and the Packaging Recovery Notes you buy cover the UK market only, and the UK Plastic Packaging Tax is a tax, not an EPR scheme. None of these numbers is accepted in place of a French identifier.
Amazon.co.uk orders to France, Pan-European stock, delivered duty paid: who is the producer?
The producer is whoever owns the goods when they enter France: not the brand as such, not the Incoterm, not whoever clears customs. A UK company that sells to French customers and still owns the goods when they cross into France is the producer, whatever the warehouse or the delivery terms.
Orders on Amazon.co.uk delivered to UK addresses are UK sales. Orders delivered to French addresses, from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr or stock that Amazon moves into French fulfilment centres, are French sales, and you remain the owner of the goods until the customer buys them. Delivered duty paid only decides who bears the import costs. Where a French buyer buys the goods and imports them in its own name, that buyer is the producer for those flows.
What changed for UK sellers when the July 2026 law came in?
Law n° 2026-602 made establishment in France the test, so a UK company with no French establishment must appoint a representative established in France. Brexit matters less than many UK sellers think: an Irish or Dutch company with no French establishment needs one too.
What Brexit did change is that UK and EU rules now run separately, so nothing registered in the UK carries over to France.
Does PPWR Article 45 mean one representative for the whole EU?
No. The PPWR, in force since 12 August 2026, applies member state by member state: a UK producer needs an authorised representative for packaging in each EU country where it makes packaging available and is not established.
We cover France only, for all French streams.
Which UK company documents do we need?
A Companies House extract less than three months old, the name of the director who signs (or a written delegation if the signatory is not a director), your UK VAT number and a bank document. We never ask for an identity document.
The rest of the file is the same closed list for every producer, set out below. The mandate is in English or French and signed online.
Which sales channels bring sellers from the United Kingdom into French EPR?
UK brands reach France through Amazon.fr, their own Shopify stores shipping from the UK or from an EU 3PL, eBay and ManoMano for home and garden goods. Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are separate stores: a UK seller account active on Amazon.fr is checked against French requirements, whatever it has registered in the UK.
Typical profiles (illustrative)
- A UK streetwear brand shipping Shopify orders to France from an EU 3PL (packaging, textile)
- A UK power-tool brand selling on ManoMano (packaging, electrical equipment, batteries)
- A UK spirits brand selling to French wine merchants that buy and import the bottles (the merchants are the producers)
- A UK skincare brand selling on Amazon.fr (packaging)
What happens if a seller from the United Kingdom is not registered in France?
Marketplaces selling to French customers must check their sellers' French registration (Article L. 541-10-9 of the French Environmental Code). A UK registration number is not a French identifier, so Amazon.fr, ManoMano or Cdiscount ask a UK seller for the French IDU of each stream concerned. Penalties under Article L. 541-9-5 of the French Environmental Code reach up to €30,000 (no registration, inaccurate data, identifier not displayed), and up to €1,500 per unit or tonne for an individual or €7,500 per unit or tonne for a company.
What a business like yours pays in year one
From €190/year excl. VAT, per stream.
Already registered with a French eco-organisation, household packaging: you prepare your declarations, we check and file them
- Setup, once
- €290 (≈ £245)
- Annual fee
- €190 (≈ £161)
- Refundable deposit
- equal to the eco-organisation’s annual minimum (€110 at Citeo or Léko in 2027)
- Eco-contribution, paid to the eco-organisation
- from €110 a year
Risk of doing nothing: A missing or inaccurate declaration: up to €30,000, and up to €7,500 per unit or tonne for a company (€1,500 for an individual), Article L. 541-9-5 of the French Environmental Code.
New brand, household packaging, small volume: we prepare and file
- Setup, once
- €290 (≈ £245)
- Annual fee
- €350 (≈ £296)
- Refundable deposit
- €110 (≈ £93)
- Eco-contribution, paid to the eco-organisation
- €110 a year at Citeo below 10,000 units in 2027
Risk of doing nothing: Selling without registration or without displaying your identifier: up to €30,000 (Article L. 541-9-5). Packaging without Info-tri: up to €15,000 per reference for a company (€3,000 for an individual), Article L. 541-9-4.
Marketplace seller, household packaging and electronics: we prepare and file
- Setup, once
- €1,050 (≈ £889) (packaging €290 + electronics €760)
- Annual fee
- €1,150 (≈ £973) (packaging €450 + electronics €700, electronics on annual declaration with direct debit at Ecosystem)
- Refundable deposit
- about one year of estimated eco-contributions (minimum €110 + €200)
- Eco-contribution, paid to the eco-organisation
- per the eco-organisations’ published scales
Risk of doing nothing: Listings blocked by the marketplace without an identifier for each stream, and for each stream the penalties of Article L. 541-9-5: up to €30,000, and up to €7,500 per unit or tonne for a company.
Your quote is fixed in writing within one business day. Eco-contributions are invoiced to you directly by the eco-organisation; we take no percentage on them.
Equivalents are indicative, at the European Central Bank reference rate of 7 October 2026; invoices are issued and paid in euros.
What happens after you sign
- 1
Written quote within one business day
You describe your products, channels and volumes. We qualify each product (stream, eco-organisation, category) and send a fixed written quote.
- 2
Mandate signed online
You sign the written mandate required by Article L. 541-10-9-1 of the French Environmental Code. One mandate covers all your French streams.
- 3
Invoice and deposit
We invoice the setup and the declaration campaign, payable by bank transfer in euros. The refundable security deposit is paid by a separate bank transfer in euros to our dedicated account.
- 4
Membership within two business days
We file your membership or designation with each eco-organisation within two business days of receiving payment.
- 5
Your identifier
The identifier (IDU) is issued on the eco-organisation’s own timing, listed below.
Our invoices are issued and paid in euros, by bank transfer. The refundable security deposit is paid by a separate bank transfer to our dedicated account.
When your identifier is issued
- Citeo (household packaging): about seven business days after the membership is validated.
- Léko (household packaging): about five business days after the initial Léko invoice is paid; that invoice must be paid within five business days, otherwise the membership is cancelled.
- Ecosystem (electronics, batteries): the identifier is issued after the first declaration has been filed and paid.
- Refashion (textiles, footwear): after membership, the signed contract and the first declaration with its payment, then about ten business days.
- Professional packaging (EPRO: Citeo Pro, Léko Pro, Twiice): registration open now, eco-contributions from 1 January 2027.
Documents we ask for
A closed list, the same as a membership without a representative:
- Exact company name and registered address
- Registration number and tax identifier
- Company register extract less than three months old
- Name and position of the signatory, and proof of authority (the extract or a written delegation)
- Product scope
- Volumes per stream, and for the three previous years if you already sell in France
- Date of your first sale in France
- Sales channels and customers
- Who imports the goods and who owns them when they enter France
- Identifiers and memberships you already hold
- Billing contact, and phone numbers with international prefix for the contact and the signatory
- Acceptance of the deposit
- A bank document
We never ask for an identity document.
We work in English and French, in writing, and reply within one business day (Paris time).
Who handles your file, and where does your money go?
Your file is handled in writing, in English or French, by a team established in Paris that does French EPR only. Read who you deal with, starting with our founder, Leo Escourrou.
Our fee is fixed per stream in the written quote. The refundable security deposit sits on a dedicated bank account, separate from our operating account, and your eco-contributions are invoiced to you directly by the eco-organisation, with no percentage for us. See how we handle your money.
Which French EPR streams do sellers from the United Kingdom most often trigger?
The streams below follow the products this market typically sells into France. One representative and one written mandate cover all of them, each stream with its own membership, identifier and declarations.
Household packaging
Required for any product sold to French consumers in packaging (boxes, polybags, fillers, bottles, jars).
Stream details →Textile, household linen and footwear (TLC)
Required for any apparel, linen or footwear product shipped to French consumers.
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 →Portable batteries and accumulators
Required for standalone portable batteries, plus rechargeable cells embedded in any device.
Stream details →Furniture (DEA)
Required for any item of furniture, mattress or bedding shipped to French consumers, plus most home decor.
Stream details →Toys
Required for any toy intended for use by children under 14, shipped to French consumers.
Stream details →EPR representative or EU authorised representative? Not the same role: an EU authorised representative or responsible person answers for product compliance (CE marking, product safety), while a French EPR representative answers for registration, identifiers and declarations with the eco-organisations. We act for French EPR only.
What do companies from the United Kingdom ask before appointing a French representative?
- Does my UK packaging EPR or WEEE registration cover France?
- No. UK packaging EPR, UK WEEE and UK batteries registrations cover the UK market only. France requires its own membership and identifier per stream with a French eco-organisation, filed through a representative established in France.
- I am still a member of a UK compliance scheme and buy PRNs. Does that count?
- No. Packaging Recovery Notes evidence UK recycling obligations. They have no effect in France, where packaging is registered with Citeo or Léko and declared to them.
- My fulfilment is in Belgium or the Netherlands, not the UK. Does it matter?
- Not for France. The trigger is the French customer, not the dispatch country. If your UK company sells products delivered to French customers, it is the producer for France, wherever the warehouse is.
- Does a French VAT number make my UK company established in France?
- No. A French VAT registration, or a fiscal representative for VAT, does not create an establishment in France for EPR. You still need a representative established in France. We do not handle VAT.
- Do I need a French representative if I sell from the United Kingdom through Amazon or another marketplace?
- If a marketplace takes on the EPR obligation for your products under Article L. 541-10-9 of the French Environmental Code, it covers only the products it sells for you, and only while you are not registered yourself. Your own website, other marketplaces and your sales to businesses stay your obligation. A producer with no establishment in France registers through a representative established in France, whatever the sales channel.
- Who is the producer if I ship from my own warehouse, from a 3PL in France or through FBA?
- The producer is whoever owns the goods when they enter France: not the brand as such, not the Incoterm, not whoever clears customs. Shipping from your own warehouse in the United Kingdom, from a 3PL or through Amazon FBA does not move the obligation to the logistics provider, which holds your goods without buying them. If a French buyer buys the goods and imports them in its own name, that buyer is the producer.
- What documents do you need?
- For a UK company: a Companies House extract less than three months old, the name of the director who signs (otherwise a written delegation), your UK VAT number and a bank document. In every case, a closed list: exact company name and registered address; registration number and tax identifier; company register extract less than three months old; name and position of the signatory, and proof of authority (the extract or a written delegation); product scope; volumes per stream, and for the three previous years if you already sell in France; date of your first sale in France; sales channels and customers; who imports the goods and who owns them when they enter France; identifiers and memberships you already hold; billing contact, and phone numbers with international prefix for the contact and the signatory; acceptance of the deposit; a bank document. We never ask for an identity document. These are the same documents as a membership without a representative.
- How long until I can sell?
- The identifier timing depends on the eco-organisation. Citeo (household packaging): about seven business days after the membership is validated. Léko (household packaging): about five business days after the initial Léko invoice is paid; that invoice must be paid within five business days, otherwise the membership is cancelled. Ecosystem (electronics, batteries): the identifier is issued after the first declaration has been filed and paid. Refashion (textiles, footwear): after membership, the signed contract and the first declaration with its payment, then about ten business days. Professional packaging (EPRO: Citeo Pro, Léko Pro, Twiice): registration open now, eco-contributions from 1 January 2027. We file your membership or designation with each eco-organisation within two business days of receiving payment.
- What does it cost?
- Our fee starts from €190/year excl. VAT per stream. 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. A one-time setup per stream and a refundable security deposit are stated in a written quote sent within one business day. Three typical year-one budgets are published on this page and on our pricing page. Your eco-contributions stay invoiced to you and paid by you directly to the eco-organisation; we take no percentage on them.