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OUR GOAL
To provide an A-to-Z e-commerce logistics solution that would complete Amazon fulfillment network in the European Union.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) used to be a niche topic for packaging specialists. By 2026, it will be front and centre for every online seller shipping to French customers – from DTC brands to marketplace merchants.
France has already moved faster than many EU countries with its AGEC anti-waste law, new EPR “filières” for more product categories, and stricter reporting and eco-design rules. On top of that, the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), phased in from 2026, will tighten requirements for packaging placed on any EU market.
The result is simple: if you sell online into France, EPR compliance is no longer something you can park with “someone in accounting”. It touches your packaging design, warehouse processes, carrier choices and data flows – exactly where a logistics partner like FLEX. Logistique operates.
This guide walks you through what’s changing by 2026, what it means for online sellers, and how to build a practical compliance roadmap.
EPR in France Today: The Starting Point
Before looking at 2026, it’s worth recapping how EPR currently works in France.
At its core, Extended Producer Responsibility means that any company that first places a product or packaging on the French market is responsible for financing and organising its end-of-life management – usually via a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO).
For online sellers, that typically means:
Packaging EPR: registering with a PRO like CITEO or Léko, reporting volumes and materials, and paying eco-fees.
Product-based EPR streams: depending on your catalogue, you may also be affected by EPR for:
Electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
Batteries
Furniture
Textiles, shoes and household linens
Toys, sports items, DIY and gardening products
Other “new” EPR sectors introduced under the AGEC law
Key obligations already in force include:
Obtaining an Identifiant Unique (Unique Identification Number) from ADEME via your PRO registration for each relevant EPR stream.
Labelling obligations, such as the Triman logo and sorting information on packaging.
Annual reporting to your PRO on the quantity and type of packaging and/or products you place on the French market.
Providing your EPR registration numbers to marketplaces (Amazon, Zalando, Kaufland, etc.), which can suspend sellers that do not comply.
By 2025, EPR for household packaging is well established and has been extended to professional/industrial and commercial packaging as a separate EPR stream. The framework is in place – but it is about to get tighter and more complex.
What Changes Between Now and 2026?
Several parallel developments come together around 2025–2026:
France is expanding and tightening its national EPR rules (especially around packaging and recycled content).
The EU is finalising the PPWR, a regulation that will apply directly in all Member States from 2026, replacing the previous packaging directive.
New EU-wide rules will change how remote sellers, marketplaces and fulfillment providers share responsibility for EPR.
For online sellers, here are the most important shifts.
2025–2026: Industrial and Commercial Packaging in Scope
France is rolling out a dedicated EPR stream for industrial and commercial packaging (EIC REP). This covers packaging used in professional settings for transport, handling, storage or distribution – not just consumer-facing boxes.
For e-commerce and logistics, that means:
Transport cartons, pallets, crates, inner boxes and some B2B packaging are no longer “invisible” from an EPR perspective.
Online sellers who supply business customers, or who use substantial B2B transport packaging, will need to register, report and pay eco-fees for this stream as well.
Warehousing and transport choices – including how many layers of packaging you use – will now feed into your EPR cost base.
If you work with a 3PL, you’ll want clarity on who reports what: which packaging is declared by you as “producer”, and which might be covered by your logistics partners’ own EPR role.
EU PPWR & Harmonised Packaging Rules from 2026
The new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is intended to harmonise packaging rules across the EU and accelerate the transition to a circular economy:
It sets minimum recyclability requirements for packaging.
It pushes for reuse and reduction of unnecessary packaging.
It standardises some labelling and sorting information across Member States.
It embeds EPR as the core financing model for packaging waste management.
Crucially, PPWR is a regulation, not a directive. That means it will apply directly in all EU countries, including France, without needing national transposition. Many of the detailed obligations start kicking in from 2026 onwards.
For online sellers, this translates into:
More pressure to redesign packaging (less plastic, more fibre-based, higher recyclability).
More detailed data reporting by material, format, and market.
Tighter scrutiny from platforms and authorities on whether your packaging genuinely meets EU recyclability thresholds.
Recycled Plastic Incentives and Eco-Modulation
France is also introducing financial incentives linked to recycled plastic content and recyclability, with new decrees applying from 2025 and schemes kicking in from 2026:
Producers using domestically recycled post-consumer plastics in packaging can receive significant bonuses per tonne.
Eco-fee structures are being adjusted to reward recyclable, low-impact packaging and penalise hard-to-recycle formats.
In practice:
Your choice of packaging materials will increasingly change your EPR bill, not just your packaging budget.
It becomes financially attractive to optimise carton and filler choices with expert support rather than defaulting to cheap but non-compliant materials.
This is exactly the intersection where logistics, packaging engineering and EPR compliance come together.
Authorized Representatives and Remote Sellers
A key change from 2026 for cross-border e-commerce is the mandatory appointment of an Authorized Representative (AR) for packaging EPR in each Member State where you place packaging on the market, if you are not established there.
Concretely, this means:
If you are a non-French company shipping directly to French consumers, you will need a French EPR Authorized Representative to handle registration, reporting and eco-fee payments on your behalf.
If you are a French seller shipping to other EU countries, you will likely need local ARs in each of those countriesfor packaging EPR.
ARs become your official contact with local authorities and PROs.
This turns EPR into a multi-country project for many online businesses, not just a “France-only” issue.
What This Means for Online Sellers Shipping to France
Pulling these developments together, by 2026 a “typical” online seller shipping to France will need to:
1. UK-based sellers shipping into the EU
For many EU-focused brands, the operational reality is: stock in the UK, shipping across Europe via carriers like DPD and DHL, plus some Amazon FBA or MCF in the mix.
Here Veeqo can be very attractive:
It connects to UK-friendly carriers like Royal Mail and DPD as well as global players like DHL and UPS.
It centralises orders from Amazon, Shopify, eBay, etc. in one dashboard.
It supports international shipping workflows, with guidance for HS codes, origin country and IOSS numbers for EU shipments.
2. Amazon-centric brands mixing FBA and FBM
If Amazon is your primary channel but you also sell via Shopify or other marketplaces, Veeqo’s closeness to Amazon is a plus:
It is an Amazon company and offers certified integration with Amazon, including Amazon Buy Shipping and Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF).
You can route off-Amazon orders through Amazon Shipping or MCF while still managing labels and inventory in one system.
In this context, Veeqo can act as your central command centre for Amazon-heavy EU operations, particularly if your physical footprint is relatively simple (e.g. one or two warehouses plus Amazon).
For a UK-based seller shipping a few hundred to a few thousand parcels a month into EU markets from a single warehouse, Veeqo’s automation, label printing and reporting can be “enough” – especially when the alternative is a patchwork of carrier portals and spreadsheets.
Limitations and Watchpoints for EU Order Volume
Veeqo is powerful for a free tool, but there are a few important caveats for EU sellers.
Be registered for all relevant EPR streams (at minimum, packaging; plus others depending on your products).
Hold a valid Identifiant Unique for each stream and share it with marketplaces and partners on request.
Potentially appoint a French Authorized Representative if you are not established in France but sell directly to French consumers.
Report annually:
Volumes of packaging placed on the French market, split by material and type
Distinctions between household and industrial/commercial packaging where relevant
Ensure packaging is PPWR-compliant:
Designed for recyclability
Minimised in weight and unnecessary components
Properly labelled with Triman and sorting instructions
Track and manage eco-modulation:
Understand which packaging SKUs attract penalties
Move towards materials and designs that qualify for bonuses or lower fees
From an operational perspective, that means:
More detailed data capture in your WMS and shipping systems (weights, materials, destinations).
Closer collaboration between sustainability, finance, packaging and logistics teams.
A strong argument for working with a 3PL like FLEX. Logistique, which already builds EPR-aware packaging and reporting into its fulfillment workflows.
A Step-by-Step Compliance Plan to 2026
EPR can feel abstract. Breaking it into concrete steps helps.
1. Map Your EPR Exposure
Start with a regulatory “inventory”:
Which product categories do you sell that fall under French EPR schemes (packaging, electronics, textiles, furniture, toys, etc.)?
Are you considered the “producer” in France (first placer on the market), or is this role taken by a brand or upstream supplier?
In which countries do you place packaging on the market today – and are you locally established in each?
This gives you a clear list of where and for what you have EPR obligations.
2. Register and Obtain Your Identifiants Uniques
For France:
Register with the relevant Producer Responsibility Organisations for each applicable stream (e.g., packaging, WEEE, textiles).
Obtain your Identifiants Uniques from ADEME via those PROs.
Upload these IDs to all marketplaces and platforms you use – many already require them and will tighten controls further as 2026 approaches.
If you sell into other EU markets, start planning your Authorized Representative strategy now, rather than rushing in 2026.
3. Align Packaging Design with Future Rules
Work with your packaging suppliers and logistics partner to:
Replace non-recyclable or composite materials where possible.
Standardise on recyclable, well-sorted materials (e.g., certain cardboard and paper formats).
Reduce void space and over-packaging, especially for industrial and commercial packaging flows.
Ensure all packaging can carry the required environmental labels (Triman, sorting icons, possible future EU harmonised symbols).
This is where a fulfillment partner like FLEX. Logistique can give you practical input. Because FLEX works across many brands and categories, it can suggest real-world packaging combinations that tick regulatory boxes without blowing up your cost per order.
4. Build Robust Data and Reporting Flows
By 2026, you won’t get far with approximate spreadsheets. You will need:
Accurate mapping of packaging SKUs to material types and weights.
Ability to track, by destination country, how much packaging is placed on each market.
Internal processes for compiling annual declarations to French PROs and, increasingly, to other EU countries as well.
Ideally, much of this data should come from your fulfillment and WMS layer, not from manual reconstructions at year-end. FLEX. Logistique’s systems can be configured to capture packaging and shipment data as orders are processed, significantly reducing your reporting burden.
5. Clarify Roles with Your 3PL and Marketplaces
Because EPR in 2026 explicitly touches fulfillment providers and marketplaces, you should document who does what:
Who is formally the “producer” for packaging in each country?
Who registers with PROs and pays eco-fees?
Who stores and supplies EPR numbers to marketplaces?
What EPR-related data can your 3PL provide automatically (packaging types, weights, destinations)?
This prevents gaps where everyone assumes someone else is handling a specific obligation.
6. Turn Compliance into a Sales and Brand Asset
Once you have the basics under control, EPR becomes more than “avoiding penalties”:
You can highlight eco-designed packaging and recyclability in your marketing.
You can negotiate with B2B customers using credible environmental data.
You’re less likely to face sudden listing suspensions from marketplaces over missing EPR IDs.
In short, you move from reactive compliance to proactive advantage.
How FLEX. Logistique Helps You Operationalise EPR
EPR rules live on paper; compliance lives in your supply chain. That’s why the right logistics partner makes such a difference.
FLEX. Logistique supports online sellers targeting France and the wider EU by:
Designing EPR-aware packaging flows
Helping choose carton and filler combinations that are recyclable, compliant and cost-effective.
Balancing protection, parcel dimensions and eco-modulation impacts.
Integrating EPR data into fulfillment
Configuring its WMS to record packaging usage per order.
Enabling easy extraction of data for annual reports and PRO declarations.
Supporting multi-country EPR strategies
Operating from France and other EU locations to help you optimise which country “places” packaging on the market.
Working alongside your legal and consultancy partners to align logistics, EPR registrations and Authorized Representatives.
Working smoothly with marketplaces and platforms
Building processes that respect marketplace requirements on EPR IDs, packaging, labelling and documentation.
Instead of EPR being a series of disconnected obligations, FLEX. Logistique helps you turn it into a coherent, operationally realistic system embedded in your EU fulfillment.
Turning 2026 EPR Rules into a Competitive Edge
2026 is not “the year everything suddenly changes overnight”. It is the moment when:
French EPR rules for packaging, including industrial and commercial flows, mature and harden.
EU-wide packaging rules, via PPWR, start to bite for every company placing packaging on any EU market.
Remote sellers, marketplaces and fulfillment providers become jointly responsible for getting EPR right.
Online sellers who prepare now will not only avoid disruption; they will also:
Offer packaging that meets customer expectations on sustainability.
Reduce the risk of blocked listings or legal issues in France and other EU countries.
Use efficient, compliant logistics as a selling point with both consumers and B2B partners.
Working with a 3PL like FLEX. Logistique, you can treat France’s new EPR rules not as a compliance nightmare, but as a structured project that strengthens your operations and your brand across Europe.
