Precast concrete manufacturer exporting to France: how does PMCB work?

The rates, side by side

Worked example

Worked example: a precast plant sells 3,000 tonnes of concrete blocks and 400 tonnes of precast stairs into France in a year.

Ecominéro: €7,046. Valobat: €4,474. Blocks are cheaper at Valobat; stairs at Valobat's general precast line cost less than Ecominéro's dedicated stairs line. A plant that makes mostly blocks and structural elements should run its own list through both scales. ADEME

Products that are not in scope

Precast elements for roads, networks and civil engineering outside the building and its plot are not building products under article R. 543-289. Ecominéro's scale still lists items such as kerbs and pipes because they can be used on a building's plot (parking, drainage). Declare what ends up in buildings and their plots; keep evidence of other destinations. Journal officiel

Who is the producer

Under article R. 543-290 of the Environmental Code, the producer is whoever manufactures or has manufactured the product under its own name or brand for use in buildings in France, or imports it or first places it on the French market. The 2023 scope notice names three importers: a French site's client buying abroad, a contractor buying abroad to install, and a distributor buying abroad. Each of them pays “sauf si elles sont en mesure de prouver que l'exportateur a lui-même contribué”, unless they can prove the exporter already contributed. A foreign manufacturer that joins an eco-organisme itself, through a representative established in France (article L. 541-10-9-1, mandatory since 10 July 2026), takes that cost and paperwork off its French customers. Distributors increasingly ask for that proof. Légifrance+1

How a representative saves you money here

• Mapping each product to the most precise line: a dedicated Ecominéro line is sometimes lower than a catch-all line, and the reverse at Valobat. ADEME
• Splitting deliveries between building use and civil engineering, which is outside the scope, with evidence.
• Choosing between twelve monthly declarations (Ecominéro) and one a year (Valobat). ADEME

What we need from you

• Company name, registration and VAT numbers, and the person who signs
• Your product list with the eco-organisme product code for each line (we map it with you) ADEME
• Quantities placed on the French market per line, in the unit the line uses (tonne, m³, m², metre or unit), for the past year and an estimate for the coming one
• Who your French customers are (distributors, contractors, end clients), to settle who is the producer for each flow

Price

Our fee. Construction products are quoted separately, because the work depends on the eco-organisme (Ecominéro takes monthly declarations, Valobat one a year) and on your tonnage. Plus Pro starts at €990 a year for up to 10 tonnes; above that we send a written quote. Setup is €0. Eco-contributions go to the eco-organisme at its published rate, with 0% markup. See pricing or the construction products service.

Frequently asked questions

Written byRazvan Toma

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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