Overview

Amazon has launched a new guide that walks sellers through France’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules. The resource is critical for anyone listing products to French buyers because non‑compliance can trigger automatic enrollment in Amazon’s managed program and direct deductions from seller accounts.

Key Points

• EPR definition — In France, producers, importers and sellers must finance the collection, recycling and disposal of products once consumers discard them, covering categories such as electronics, batteries, packaging, textiles, furniture, toys, sports gear and DIY items.
• Scope of obligation — The rule applies to every seller shipping to France, even if the business is based outside the European Union, meaning overseas vendors must treat French orders the same as domestic ones.
• Unique Identification Numbers (UINs) — Each regulated product line needs a distinct UIN, which sellers upload through Amazon’s dedicated EPR portal; missing numbers trigger compliance alerts.
• Separate registrations per category — Sellers cannot bundle electronics and textiles under a single filing; each category must be registered with the corresponding French eco‑organization, often requiring separate contracts and documentation.
• Annual reporting — Once a year, sellers submit volume‑based reports for every EPR category they sell, and fees are calculated on the basis of units sold, not on revenue.
• Deadline enforcement — Amazon monitors listings in real time; if a product lacks a valid UIN by the set cut‑off date, the platform automatically enrolls the seller in its managed compliance service.
• Managed program cost premium — When Amazon steps in, it adds an administrative surcharge that typically exceeds the sum of the individual registration and filing fees a seller would have paid on its own.
• Legal proxy requirement for non‑EU sellers — Companies outside the EU must appoint a French legal representative, incurring a one‑time proxy fee before any registration can be accepted.
• — Specialized compliance firms can handle registration, reporting and fee payment, which can be cost‑effective for large catalogs but adds an extra service fee.