Products commonly in scope
- Single-use wipes
- Pre-moistened wipes for personal and bodily use
- Pre-moistened wipes for household use
- Other wipe products falling within the first TSUU regulatory category
French EPR category guide
Single-Use Sanitary Textiles EPR in France
French sanitary textile EPR guidance for single-use wipes, including the current scope, producer registration, IDU and declarations.
Category overview
What businesses need to know
France's single-use sanitary textile EPR stream became operational on 1 July 2025. Although the statutory framework identifies several sanitary textile families, only the first category - wipes, including pre-moistened wipes for personal and household use - is currently operationally covered.
EPR scope is product-specific. A product can fall under several streams, and its packaging may create an additional obligation. Confirm the current official scope before placing products on the French market.
Scope assessment
Products and businesses commonly affected
These examples are a starting point, not a substitute for checking the detailed legal and eco-organization nomenclature.
Who may be the producer?
- French manufacturers, sellers and importers placing covered wipes on the market
- Foreign businesses selling covered wipes directly to French households or professional users by distance contract
- Retailers selling covered wipes exclusively under their own brand
- Private-label and contract-manufacturing businesses responsible for first placement
Only wipes are currently operationally covered; the other statutory TSUU categories are not yet active under this EPR stream.
Product format, intended use, single-use status and whether the item is a wipe must be documented.
Packaging supplied with the wipes creates a separate packaging assessment and may require another IDU.
Compliance roadmap
The French EPR process, step by step
Registration is only one part of compliance. Product classification, declarations, records and post-registration duties must remain aligned.
01
Confirm the product scope
Map each product against the official stream definitions. Review function, materials, intended user, sales channel, components and packaging instead of relying only on customs codes or catalogue labels.
02
Identify the French producer
Establish who first places the product on the French market. Depending on the supply chain, this may be a manufacturer, importer, private-label seller, distance seller or marketplace.
03
Choose a compliance route
Most producers join an approved eco-organization. An approved individual system may be possible, but it carries direct operational, collection, treatment and reporting responsibilities.
04
Register and obtain the IDU
Complete the relevant onboarding, provide company and product information and obtain the unique identifier for this EPR stream. Each applicable stream can issue a separate IDU.
05
Declare and finance quantities
Submit products first placed on the French market using the required units, weights and category codes. Eco-contributions are normally calculated from these declarations.
06
Maintain ongoing compliance
Keep auditable records, renew declarations, monitor fee schedules and eco-modulation, and apply any stream-specific sorting, take-back, consumer-information or prevention obligations.
Declaration readiness
Data to prepare before registration
Reliable source data reduces classification errors and makes recurring declarations easier to audit. Keep the calculation method and source records alongside every submitted return.
Declaration periods, category codes, fee scales and minimum contributions vary by eco-organization and stream. Confirm the current member guide before calculating a return.
Wipe type, intended personal or household use and product reference
Units and mass placed on the French market
Pre-moistened or dry format and material composition
Household or professional user destination
Brand, sales channel and packaging quantities
Supplier evidence, internal calculations and copies of submitted declarations
Cross-stream review
One product can create several obligations
EPR categories overlap by design. Assess the complete product, incorporated components, accessories, printed inserts and packaging.
Common questions
Sanitary Textiles EPR FAQ
Are all single-use sanitary textiles currently covered?
No. The legal framework identifies several sanitary textile categories, but only wipes, including pre-moistened personal and household wipes, are currently operationally covered by the TSUU EPR stream.
Do foreign online sellers of wipes need to register?
They may. The producer definition includes foreign businesses selling covered single-use sanitary textiles directly into France through distance contracts, whether the customers are households or other users.
Does one IDU cover every French EPR stream?
No. The IDU is stream-specific. A company covered by several streams can hold several unique identifiers and must maintain the registration and declarations for each one.
Must a business established outside France register?
It may need to register when it directly places covered products on the French market, including through distance sales. The answer depends on the contractual chain, customer and role of any importer or marketplace.
Category assessment
Need help confirming your sanitary textiles obligations?
We can review your products, identify overlapping streams and prepare the information needed for French registration and IDU applications.
This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Product scope, approved schemes, fees and reporting rules can change. Confirm the rules that apply when your products are placed on the French market.