Glossary, fig. 01
French EPR glossary.
Every acronym and French term you will encounter, defined plainly. Built for non-French speakers who need to read ADEME notices, Citeo correspondence, and marketplace compliance pages without a dictionary.
A
- Adelphe
- Citeo subsidiary serving wine, spirits, and pharmaceutical packaging EPR in France. Same regulatory cover as Citeo, sector-specific contribution scale. See the Adelphe dossier.
- ADEMEAgence de la transition écologique
- French national environment agency. Operates SYDEREP (the EPR teleservice), issues the IDU producer identifier, and audits eco-organism compliance.
- AGECLoi anti-gaspillage pour une économie circulaire
- French law of 10 February 2020 that overhauled the EPR system, introduced new streams (toys, sports/DIY, construction), reinforced producer obligations, and codified marketplace liability under article L. 541-10-9.
- Annual declarationDéclaration annuelle
- Yearly report filed with each eco-organism, stating volumes (tonnage or unit count) placed on the French market during the previous calendar year. Triggers the eco-contribution invoice. Filing windows vary by stream, see our deadlines calendar.
C
- Citeo
- Dominant French eco-organism for household packaging and graphic paper. Approximately 95% market share. Default choice for most producers. See the Citeo dossier.
- Corepile (merged into Ecosystem in 2025)
- Historic French eco-organism for portable batteries. Corepile was absorbed by Ecosystem in summer 2025; new portable-battery adhesions for non-EU producers now route through Ecosystem. The original Corepile dossier is kept for reference; Screlec’s take-back scheme now operates as Batribox (approved by arrêté of 27 March 2025).
E
- Ecomaison
- Multi-stream French eco-organism for furniture, toys, sports articles, and DIY products. Single adherence covers up to three streams. See the Ecomaison dossier.
- Ecominéro
- French eco-organism for inert mineral construction waste (concrete, stone, ceramics). See the Ecominéro dossier.
- Ecologic
- French eco-organism for WEEE, alternative to Ecosystem. Often used for B2B equipment and specialised verticals. See the Ecologic dossier.
- Ecosystem
- Main French eco-organism for WEEE (electrical and electronic equipment). See the Ecosystem dossier.
- EPRExtended Producer Responsibility, REP in French
- Regulatory principle making producers financially and operationally responsible for the end-of-life management of the products they place on the market. France has 19 official EPR streams; see our foundational guide.
I
- IDUIdentifiant Unique Producteur
- Official French producer identifier under EPR, issued by ADEME via SYDEREP, one per stream. Marketplaces verify it. See our IDU explainer.
L
- Léko
- Second French eco-organism for household packaging, producer-owned alternative to Citeo. Smaller market share. See the Léko dossier.
- Law n° 2026-602Loi Fast Fashion, Article L. 541-10-9-1
- French law of 8 July 2026 on reducing the environmental impact of the textile industry (Journal officiel n° 0159 of 9 July 2026, NOR TECX2407166L). Its article 5, 2° created Article L. 541-10-9-1 of the Code de l’environnement, in force on 10 July 2026. Despite the textile title, the provision is horizontal: it makes appointing a France-established representative, by written mandate, compulsory across all 19 French EPR streams for any person not established in France, and it subrogates that representative into the obligations whose mandate it accepts. It also reaches online intermediation platforms that are not established in France. See our breakdown of the statute.
M
- MandateMandat
- Written contract (articles 1984 and following of the French Civil Code) by which the producer appoints the representative. For a producer without a French establishment the appointment is compulsory and the mandate carries the statutory subrogation of Article L. 541-10-9-1. Signed electronically with us; no notary required.
P
- PMCBProduits et matériaux de la construction du bâtiment
- Newest French EPR stream, in force since 1 January 2023, covering construction products. Eco-organisms: Valobat and Ecominéro.
- PPWRPackaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, EU 2025/40
- EU regulation in force from 12 August 2026, harmonising packaging EPR rules across all 27 Member States. Directly applicable (no national transposition lag). Makes EU authorized-representative designation a direct EU obligation for non-EU producers. See our PPWR guide.
- ProducerProducteur
- The entity that places the product on the French market for the first time. Country of incorporation, country of manufacture, and sales channel do not change the producer status: trigger is geographical (France).
R
- Refashion
- Sole French eco-organism for textile, footwear, and household linen. Per-unit contribution. See the Refashion dossier.
S
- Screlec
- Historic second French eco-organism for portable batteries. Screlec’s take-back scheme now operates as Batribox, approved by arrêté of 27 March 2025. See the Screlec dossier.
- Subrogation
- Legal transfer of obligations from one party to another. The regulatory clause that subrogated producer obligations to the authorized representative was annulled by the Conseil d’État in case 449213 of 10 November 2023, but the legislator restored subrogation at statute level: since 10 July 2026, Article L. 541-10-9-1 of the Code de l’environnement (law n° 2026-602 of 8 July 2026) subrogates the French representative into the EPR obligations whose mandate it accepts. The producer keeps producer status and answers for the data it provides and for periods before the mandate; within the mandate’s scope and duration, the obligations are carried by the representative. For producers established in France, who need no representative, the ordinary civil mandate still applies, without subrogation.
- SYDEREPSystème Déclaratif REP
- ADEME teleservice for EPR declarations and IDU issuance. Eco-organisms transmit producer files to ADEME through SYDEREP. The IDU number returned to producers comes from this system.
V
- Valdelia
- French eco-organism for professional furniture (office, hospitality, schools). See the Valdelia dossier.
- Valobat
- French eco-organism for non-inert construction products and materials (PMCB). See the Valobat dossier.
W
- WEEEWaste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, DEEE in French
- EPR stream for electrical and electronic equipment. Eco-organisms: Ecosystem (default), Ecologic. See the WEEE stream page.
É
- Éco-contribution
- Regulated fee paid by producers to eco-organisms, scaled to the volume and material profile of products placed on the French market. Funds the collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure. Not a tax and not deductible from income tax. It is set by the eco-organism on its published barème and stays separate from our service fee: we take no percentage on it.
- Éco-modulation
- Bonus-malus mechanism applied by eco-organisms: a packaging with high recycled content, clear sorting instructions, or recyclable mono-material design pays less per tonne than a non-recyclable composite. Modulation rates change yearly.
Get your fixed quote in one business day
The entry price is public: from €190/year excl. VAT per EPR stream. Tell us your streams, volumes and product references, and you receive a fixed written quote within one business day, before any commitment. Eco-contributions are set by the eco-organisms on their published schedules and stay separate from our fee: we take no percentage on them.