Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is now one of the major pillars of the ecological transition in France. The EPR schemes, now numbering 19, cover a very wide range of everyday products to construction waste. This article presents them to you in a structured manner.
High-volume EPR schemes: packaging, construction, and single-use plastics
Household packaging and SUP plastics
The Household Packaging and Graphic Papers scheme (EMPAP) is one of the oldest and largest in the EPR system in France. Each year, several million tons of cardboard, glass, plastic, and metal packaging are placed on the market by producers. This EMPAP scheme applies without a minimum threshold, requiring all market players to register from the first unit sold. Eco-organizations like Citeo coordinate collection via the yellow bin and fund sorting centers that separate different materials to optimize their recycling.
Single-use plastics (SUP) have been the focus of particular attention since the 2019 European directive. This category includes cups, cutlery, plates, straws, and other items intended for ephemeral use. French regulations, reinforced by the AGEC law, aim to gradually ban or replace them with reusable or compostable alternatives. Producers of these items bear increased eco-contributions to fund awareness campaigns and public space cleaning operations.
Construction waste (PMCB)
The Construction Products and Materials scheme (PMCB) represents one of the major extensions of EPR in 2023, with a progressive ramp-up until 2026. The volumes involved far exceed those of other schemes, with the construction sector generating millions of tons of waste each year from construction, renovation, and demolition sites. The materials covered include insulation, floor coverings, joinery, sanitary ware, and numerous secondary work products.
Approved eco-organizations like Valobat or Ecominéro organize a network of free take-back points at distributors and in professional waste disposal sites. The November 2024 decree expanded this obligation by allowing collection points located up to 5 km from sales points, thus facilitating logistics for artisans and construction companies. The traceability of hazardous waste (asbestos, lead) is given special attention to ensure their safe treatment.
EPR schemes for equipment products and household technical goods
Furniture
The EPR furniture scheme favors reuse before recycling in a logic of resource preservation. Functional furniture collected through waste disposal sites or store take-backs is directed to social and solidarity economy structures that refurbish them before resale. The main eco-organization of this scheme is called Eco-mobilier, it funds these reuse actors and develops partnerships with charitable associations.
Non-repairable furniture follows a dismantling process that allows the separation of different materials. Wood is shredded to produce recycled particle boards, metals are melted, textiles can be used for insulation or as fuel.
WEEE and batteries
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) represents a technically complex scheme due to the diversity of components and the presence of hazardous substances. A smartphone, for example, contains precious metals (gold, silver, palladium), rare earths, and special plastics that require sophisticated treatment processes. The eco-organizations of the WEEE EPR scheme like Ecosystem or Ecologic organize collection in stores (1-for-1 take-back) and in public waste disposal sites.
Batteries and accumulators are the subject of a separate scheme due to their hazardous nature and the value of the materials they contain. Lithium, cobalt, and nickel present in electric vehicle or cordless tool batteries justify significant investments in recycling infrastructure. European regulations impose increasing collection and recycling rates to limit the extraction of primary resources and reduce the carbon footprint of these products.
EPR schemes for everyday consumer goods and leisure
From textiles to toys
The textile EPR scheme, extended to shoes and household linen, is experiencing rapid growth in its collected volumes. Collection points are multiplying across the territory, managed by eco-organizations like Refashion that fund the sorting, reuse, and recycling of used clothing. Textiles in good condition supply second-hand shops while damaged items are transformed into industrial wiping cloths or insulating fibers.
Toys constitute a more recent scheme introduced by the AGEC law. This category covers a wide variety of products, from stuffed animals to electronic toys, each requiring specific treatment. Simple plastic toys can be shredded and recycled, while electronic toys join the WEEE scheme to recover their electronic components and batteries.
Sports, leisure, DIY, and gardening
This sports scheme groups heterogeneous categories that nevertheless share common issues of sustainability and reparability. Items such as rackets, balls, and bicycles often incorporate several composite materials that are difficult to separate.
DIY and gardening tools combine metals, plastics, and sometimes electronics, requiring manual dismantling to optimize recovery. The gradual extension of this scheme aims to hold accountable sectors that were previously poorly regulated. Producers must now finance the collection and treatment of products whose lifespan varies considerably, from a gasoline mower used for fifteen years to a pool accessory replaced each season.
Other specialized EPR schemes
Professional packaging
The professional packaging scheme, operational since 2024 and expanded in 2026, targets packaging used in industrial or commercial settings. These are mainly items such as pallets, plastic films, and crates. Producers fund collection and recycling through dedicated eco-organizations, with an emphasis on reducing volumes and promoting reusable solutions to minimize environmental impact.
Vehicles, tires, and boats
The End-of-Life Vehicles scheme (ELV) concerns cars, vans, two-wheelers, and quadricycles, in place since 2006. Approved ELV centers depollute and dismantle vehicles to recycle metals, plastics, and fluids. As for tires, they have been managed separately since 2004, involving the collection of used tires for recovery as granules or fuel, with eco-organizations like Aliapur. The scheme for pleasure or sport boats launched in 2019, organizes the deconstruction of boats to recycle hulls, engines, and equipment, taking into account their impact on aquatic environments.
Chemical products and oils
The chemical products scheme manages the contents and containers of hazardous substances since 2013. Lubricating or industrial oils, on the other hand, collect used oils for regeneration or energy recovery, aiming to limit risks to the environment and health.
Health products and tobacco
Unused medications have been collected in pharmacies since 2009 for secure incineration, preventing water contamination. Medical devices with sharp points for self-treatment patients, such as needles, are managed via specific boxes for treatment as infectious waste. Finally, there is the tobacco scheme, implemented in 2021. This targets cigarette butts and filters to reduce their pollution, with awareness campaigns funded by producers.
Approved EPR schemes: summary list
pleasure or sport boats EPR scheme
PMCB EPR scheme
textile EPR scheme
household packaging and graphic papers EPR scheme (EMPAP)
WEEE EPR scheme
end-of-life vehicles (ELV) EPR scheme
tires EPR scheme
furniture elements EPR scheme
toys EPR scheme
sports and leisure articles EPR scheme
DIY and garden products EPR scheme
professional packaging EPR scheme
hazardous chemical products EPR scheme
lubricating oils EPR scheme
unused medications EPR scheme
sharps medical devices (DASRI PAT) EPR scheme
tobacco products EPR scheme
single-use sanitary textiles (wipes) EPR scheme
