EPR · France
EPR in France: the Citeo, ADEME, and Triman guide for sellers
If you sell packaged goods to customers in France, you have to join an approved eco-organisation (for packaging that is Citeo), pay an eco-contribution on what you place on the market, get a unique identifier from ADEME, declare your volumes each year, and label your products with the Triman logo and Info-Tri sorting instructions in French. It applies whether or not you have a French company, and if you are outside the EU you also have to appoint an authorised representative in France.
Who has to register
Anyone who first places packaged goods on the French market, including non-French and non-EU sellers shipping direct to consumers by distance selling. The framework is the AGEC law, France's 2020 anti-waste law for a circular economy. There is no small-seller exemption for packaging, so your first parcel of one product counts.
The pieces you have to put in place
For packaging, the obligations are:
- Join an approved eco-organisation. For household packaging that is Citeo, the main producer responsibility organisation, and pay an eco-contribution based on the weight, material, and number of units you place on the market.
- Get your unique identifier (Identifiant Unique) from ADEME, the French environment agency. Citeo requests it for you once your membership is confirmed, usually within about eight days.
- Declare your volumes to your eco-organisation each year, by 31 May for the previous year.
- Label every product with the Triman logo and Info-Tri sorting instructions, in French.
The unique identifier, and where it has to show
The Identifiant Unique (often shortened to IDU or UIN) is proof that you pay your producer-responsibility contributions. ADEME has issued one per EPR stream since 1 January 2022, and keeps a public register where anyone, including a marketplace or an authority, can look yours up. You have to display it in your website's terms and conditions, show it on invoices, and give it to any marketplace that asks. Selling without one, or with an invalid one, is what tends to get flagged first.
Triman and Info-Tri labelling
This is the part that catches sellers off guard, because it is stricter than most countries. Every product sold to French consumers has to carry the Triman logo, a small figure ringed by three arrows, together with Info-Tri instructions that tell the buyer how to sort each part of the packaging. It has to be in French, and it applies even when you sell online from outside France. You can print it on the product or the packaging, and for distance sales it can also be shown digitally next to the product.
The penalties are assessed per product
Missing or incorrect Triman and Info-Tri labelling carries an administrative fine of up to €15,000 for a company, assessed per non-compliant product. Missing or inaccurate registration can reach €30,000, and other packaging EPR breaches up to €7,500 per product unit or tonne. For a distance seller the practical risk is a French authority notice and blocked or returned shipments.
If you are outside the EU: the authorised representative
A producer that is not established in France and sells packaged goods directly to French households has to appoint an authorised representative (mandataire) established in France, who registers you, files your declarations, and acts as the local point of contact. From 12 August 2026, the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) turns this into a requirement across every member state, one representative per country, so if you already need one for France, expect the same in each other country you ship to.
How France differs from Germany
If you have already handled Germany's LUCID and dual-system setup, France looks similar in shape but differs in three ways. France runs its packaging scheme through one main eco-organisation, Citeo, rather than several competing dual systems. It layers on the Triman and Info-Tri labelling that Germany does not require. And France has more EPR streams than any other EU country, over twenty under the AGEC law, so if you also sell textiles, electronics, furniture, or batteries you may owe separate registrations on top of packaging.
How Assuro helps
The figures you declare to Citeo should come from your actual products, not an estimate. Assuro totals your packaging by material across your Shopify catalogue, flags France when you ship there but have not registered, and tracks the 31 May declaration and the 12 August 2026 representative deadline. It does not join Citeo, request your identifier, or file for you, and it links every flag to the rule behind it.
- Join Citeo and pay the eco-contribution before your first French sale
- Get your ADEME unique identifier and show it in your terms, on invoices, and to marketplaces
- Add the Triman logo and Info-Tri instructions, in French, to every product
- Declare your volumes each year by 31 May
- If you are outside the EU, appoint an authorised representative in France, ahead of 12 August 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register in France if I am based in the US or UK?
Yes. French EPR applies to whoever first places packaged goods on the French market, including non-EU sellers shipping directly to French consumers. Being outside the EU also means you must appoint an authorised representative in France.
What is the Identifiant Unique (unique identifier)?
It is a number ADEME issues to prove you pay your producer-responsibility contributions, one per EPR stream. Citeo requests it once you join, and you must display it in your website terms, on invoices, and to marketplaces that ask.
Is Triman labelling really required if I sell online from outside France?
Yes. The Triman logo and Info-Tri sorting information are compulsory, in French, for products sold to French consumers, including distance sales from abroad.
How much can French EPR breaches cost?
Triman and Info-Tri labelling failures reach up to €15,000 for a company, assessed per non-compliant product. Missing or inaccurate registration can reach €30,000, and other packaging breaches up to €7,500 per unit or tonne.
Does Assuro register me with Citeo?
No. Assuro organizes and flags. It shows when you sell into France but have not registered and tracks the deadlines, but it does not join Citeo, obtain your identifier, or file for you.
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