what are the requirements to register packaging in France

France requires a local representative and more detail

What sets France apart from most other EU countries is that there is not simply one central European register where you can handle everything: each Member State designates its own register, and France has its own system within that, with its own classification of packaging categories and its own reporting requirements. Article 44 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 stipulates that manufacturers must register in each Member State where they place packaging on the market, but the regulation does not determine that this happens in the same way or with the same authority everywhere. For those who already know that France is on the list of countries where they supply but do not yet know where that list precisely begins and ends, an overview is available in which EU countries require registration.

For businesses without an establishment in France that nevertheless place packaged products on the market there, an additional step typically follows: appointing an authorised representative who handles registration and reporting on the company's behalf. This applies in particular to distance selling, where Article 45 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 provides for the figure of the authorised representative for situations where a seller from another country supplies directly to French consumers. When that representative is exactly required and when not varies from country to country — this is set out in when an authorised representative is required per EU country.

Where this follows from: Articles 44 and 45

Article 44 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 requires manufacturers to register in each Member State where they place packaging on the market, without harmonising the national registers themselves. Article 45 addresses the position of distance selling and the role of the authorised representative, which is relevant for anyone selling from the Netherlands or another country directly to French customers without a French establishment. The exact name of the French register, its classification and the method of registration are not in the regulation itself but follow from national implementation; an overview of countries showing which authority is competent where is available in which register applies for which European country.