Packaging Licence France: The Complete Guide to Licensing & the Authorised Representative

Yes. As soon as you ship packed goods to customers in France, you are a producteur under French law and must join an éco-organisme. There is no de minimis threshold – the obligation starts with the very first item of packaging. Both the sales packaging and the shipping box must be licensed.

The IDU (Identifiant Unique) is the French EPR registration number. It is issued by the environment agency ADEME through the SYDEREP register. In practice, your éco-organisme or your mandataire applies for the IDU on your behalf as soon as you join. Important: there is one number per EPR filière. Anyone offering electrical equipment or batteries alongside packaging will have several IDUs.

No. Registration and system participation always apply per country. France runs its own register through ADEME with its own number, the IDU. Your LUCID entry with the ZSVR covers the German market only.

Yes, since 10 July 2026. Loi n° 2026-602 introduced Art. L. 541-10-9-1 Code de l’environnement, making the appointment of a mandataire mandatory for every producer without an establishment in France – expressly including companies from other EU member states. Since 12 August 2026, Art. 45(3) PPWR has required the same across the EU.

Who needs a mandataire?

• Foreign online sellers without a French branch
• Importers without a registered office in France
• Amazon FBA sellers without a local presence
• B2B suppliers delivering to French companies
• Marketplace operators without a French establishment

Who does not? Companies with a registered office, branch or permanent establishment in France. The obligation is also considered fulfilled if a platform established in France already ensures the conformity of your products – though you should have this confirmed in writing.

Costs consist of two parts. The éco-contribution paid to the éco-organisme depends on material, weight and unit count: corrugated board is around €0.18 per kg, PET around €0.40 per kg, polystyrene around €0.90 per kg. If you place fewer than 10,000 sales units per year on the market, you can opt for a flat rate in the region of €80–110 net.

On top of this comes the service fee for the mandataire and administration. Through our partners, this is €246.60 to €269.10 per year. With voucher code VRPCKLIZ10 you save 10% at Lizenzero.com.

No. Unlike Spain, for example, where nothing works without a NIF or NIE, France does not require a local tax number for EPR registration. What is required instead is a mandataire established in France.

Yes, for as long as the obligation applies. In France, household packaging must carry the Triman logo together with the Info-tri sorting instruction (Décret n° 2021-835). The European Commission brought France before the CJEU over this on 17 July 2025, viewing it as an obstacle to the free movement of goods. That case does not suspend the obligation. If you are creating new print artwork anyway, you should factor in the harmonised PPWR labelling that applies from 12 August 2028.

In that case the new filière for commercial packaging (emballages professionnels) applies. The decree has been in force since 1 January 2026, but the ministry postponed the operational launch to 1 January 2027. Important: every affected producer is expected to have joined one of the three approved systems – Citeo Pro, Léko Pro or Twiice – by 31 December 2026. If you supply both private and business customers, you need both system contracts and two IDUs.

Yes, if you sell via Amazon.fr and place packaging on the French market for the first time. This applies to direct shipping from Germany as well as to Amazon FBA with storage in France and to Pan-EU FBA. Marketplaces have been required to collect the IDU since 2022 and to check it regularly against SYDEREP, as they are otherwise liable themselves. Without a valid IDU your listings will be suspended – in France this is the most common reason sellers become aware of the topic at all.

Three consequences are possible. First, administrative penalties: specialist sources cite up to €7,500 per unit or tonne for marketplaces and amounts of up to €30,000 for a missing IDU. Second, back-claims for the éco-contribution covering previous years. Third – and in practice the fastest to bite – suspension of your listings by marketplaces such as Amazon.fr, Cdiscount or Fnac. Market surveillance lies with the consumer protection authority DGCCRF.

In theory yes – in practice you run into two hurdles. First, you need a mandataire established in France anyway, whom you would have to find and appoint separately. Second, the portal, the contract and the correspondence with the authorities are all in French. Because you need the authorised representative in any case, it is almost always more efficient to run the licence and the mandate through the same provider. Our partner Lizenzero offers this for France from €269.10 per year – with voucher code VRPCKLIZ10 you save 10%.

The reporting window runs from 1 January to 28 February of the following year and covers the volumes placed on the market in the previous year. Based on your report, the éco-organisme issues a balancing invoice. Contributions above €5,000 per year are invoiced quarterly in advance; below that, annually. If you appoint a full-service provider, the portal reminds you of the deadline automatically.