For a food or drink brand, French EPR means packaging. The household stream covers the packaging of products consumed by households, including products that may be and products eaten out of home, plus printed paper. 
Légifrance Packaging of products sold to professionals that is not household packaging falls under the professional packaging stream (EPRO), for which ADEME asks producers to join an eco-organisme for 1 January 2027. 
ADEME Food supplements are not medicines and are not in the medicines stream. ADEMESources (5)LégifranceLégifrance — Article L541-10-1, Code de l'environnementADEMEADEME — professional packaging (EPRO) scheme pageADEMEADEME — Filière REP Médicaments non utilisés (MNU)
CiteoCiteo — Pourquoi adhérer : emballages et papiers graphiquesLégifranceLégifrance — article L. 541-10-9-1 of the Environmental Code (full text)
Which packaging goes where
| Sold to | Stream | Eco-organismes we use |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets, shops, online buyers, cafés selling to consumers | Household packaging Légifrance | Citeo or Léko |
| Restaurants, hotels, canteens, offices, other businesses, in bulk or catering formats | Professional packaging (EPRO) ADEME | Twiice or Léko Pro |
| Pallets, stretch film, shipping cartons to a French distributor | Usually professional packaging ADEME | Twiice or Léko Pro |
| Menus, leaflets, recipe cards, catalogues | Printed paper, household stream Sources (2)LégifranceLégifrance — Article L541-10-1, Code de l'environnementCiteoCiteo — Pourquoi adhérer : emballages et papiers graphiques | Citeo or Léko |
Not sure where a format sits? Household or professional packaging walks through the test, and who is the producer under EPRO covers importers and distributors. ADEME
Typical cases
- A brand selling jars online to consumers and in catering tins to restaurants needs both streams, one membership each.
- A drinks brand whose French importer buys and re-sells the goods: the importer is usually the producer of the packaging it places on the French market, and you give your buyers nothing more than your own IDU where you are the producer. ADEME
- A seller on Amazon or Cdiscount: the platform asks for the household packaging IDU. See Cdiscount. Sources (2)ADEMEADEME — Filière REP Emballages ménagers et papiers (EMPAP)ADEMEADEME — all about the unique identifier (IDU)
If you are not established in France
A company with no establishment in France that is the producer must appoint a representative established in France by written mandate, since 10 July 2026. Légifrance The representative joins the eco-organismes in your name and you receive the IDUs.
Price
Our fee. Standard is €190 a year per eligible stream for household packaging, textiles, furniture, toys, graphic paper, sports and DIY goods, up to 1 tonne a year per stream. Every other stream (electrical equipment, batteries, wipes) and anything above 1 tonne is on Plus: €990 a year for up to three streams. Plus Pro, also €990, when you sell to businesses too. Setup is €0, and eco-contributions are paid at the eco-organisme's rate with 0% markup. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is food waste itself an EPR stream?
No. EPR in France covers the packaging and printed paper around food, not the food.
We only sell to wholesalers. Which stream?
It depends on who ends up using the product: if consumers buy it in that format, household packaging; if businesses use it, professional packaging. Sources (2)ADEMEADEME — professional packaging (EPRO) scheme pageADEMEADEME — Filière REP Emballages ménagers et papiers (EMPAP)
Razvan Toma is the founder of EPR France Rep, a France-established authorised representative (mandataire) for producers with no French establishment. He has worked in waste management and recycling since 2009, running waste-separation programmes inside large B2B organisations in France for clients including Chanel, Microsoft, Decathlon, Pirelli, IKEA, Vinci, Capgemini and E.Leclerc.
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