French Packaging Act: What You Need to Know 

June 14, 2023

Since January 1, 2022, the French Packaging Act (Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR) requires online retailers to assume responsibility for the life cycle of their packaging. The purpose of the directive is to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and promote the transition to a circular economy. The directive requires dealers adding packaging to the French market to license their packaging and contribute financially to the recycling of this material.

You are legally obligated to license your packaging every year. This means that you as a dealer need to renew your license annually and report the amount of packaging used. As an online marketplace operator, Chrono24 is required by the EU packaging directive to monitor dealer compliance with the “extended producer responsibility” defined therein.

  • FAQs about the Packaging Act:

Who is required to comply with the French Packaging Act (EPR)?

In accordance with the Packaging Act, all retailers who send packaged goods to consumers in France must license their packaging for France. The law applies to dealers located outside of France as soon as they send packaged goods to France; in doing so, they are required to contribute financially to the recycling of the packaging material(s). The law applies as soon as the dealer sends their first shipment to France.

What does the French Packaging Act (EPR) mean for me?

If you ship items to France, you are required to comply with the EPR, which includes both a labeling requirement and an obligation to license packaging with the French recycling system.

To license your packaging, you need a Unique Identification Number (UIN), issued to individual retailers by the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME). This number is proof that you meet French recycling requirements. As an online marketplace operator, Chrono24 is required to ensure that you, as a dealer, are properly registered and in compliance with the regulations if you send packaged goods to France.

How do I comply with the regulations? 

    1. Register with a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) like Citeo
    2. You’ll receive a Unique Identification Number (UIN) proving that you are in compliance with the EPR.
    3. Email us your UIN at quality@chrono24.com

Important: If you already ship packages to France, be sure to send us your UIN by August 1, 2023.

To comply with the labeling requirement, retailers shipping packaged goods to France must mark packages with the internationally standardized Triman logo. Along with the Triman logo, information on the correct disposal of the packaging must also be added, highlighting the proper separation and recycling of the packaging material(s), and thus promoting an efficient circular economy.

Further information about the Triman logo

Get a 20% discount on registration fees 

To better support dealers on our platform, we’ve teamed up with LIZENZERO.EU to offer you a way to digitally license your packaging in accordance with the EU packaging directive. You’ll receive a 20% discount off the following LIZENZERO.EU products:

Compliance guide:

LIZENZERO.EU’s compliance guide provides detailed information and a to-do list to help you meet the legal requirements for licensing your packaging. Further information

Licensing service:

LIZENZERO.EU performs a compliance check and handles all requirements in the target country on your behalf. That way, you’ll no longer need to register with a PRO yourself. Further information

To redeem your discount, just enter the code CHRONO24 at checkout or mention CHRONO24 when requesting the licensing service.

Of course, you can also license your packaging using another Producer Responsibility Organization like Citeo.

What happens if I don't comply with the regulations?

If you send packaged goods to France and do not license your packaging for France, you may face fines of up to €7,500 per type of packaging (material fraction) and/or imprisonment of up to 5 years. If you fail to include your UIN in your General Terms & Conditions or other contractual documents, this may result in an administrative fine of €30,000.

Important: Shipping unlicensed packages to France may affect your sales activity on Chrono24. You may also be subject to legal consequences, as mentioned above.

German Packaging Act: German Packaging Act: Upload Your Licensing Certificate for 2023 Now

The German Packaging Act (VerpackG) requires you to license your packaging every year. If you haven’t yet uploaded the licensing certificate from your dual system for 2023 to your Chrono24 account, please do so as soon as possible.

Further information about the German Packaging Act

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at quality@chrono24.com or call +49 721 96693-4700.

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