Do you place electrical or electronic equipment on the French market from abroad? You fall under WEEE EPR. Here are your actual obligations and how a representative carries them for you.
Short answer: a foreign producer placing electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) on the French market is subject to WEEE EPR: register with ADEME (unique identifier), join an approved organisation — ecosystem or Ecologic —, report volumes and pay the eco-contribution. Appointing a representative established in France is the practical way to carry these obligations. You remain the responsible producer.
Any producer placing EEE on the French market — professional or consumer devices, IT equipment, appliances, tools, lighting, electrical medical devices, photovoltaic panels — that is not established in France (EU or non-EU, including distance selling). The WEEE scheme has been in force for years: unlike the extension of professional packaging (postponed), there is no date to wait for here.
Important nuance: for WEEE, appointing a representative is not a general standalone obligation as it now is for batteries. It is the recommended, practical route for a foreign producer to meet French EPR obligations. Note that the French Conseil d'État clarified (10 November 2023) that an EPR authorised representative cannot be subrogated to all of the producer's obligations — it carries out the steps, but you remain the responsible producer.
For the current approval period (2022-2027), the EEE organisations are ecosystem and Ecologic, covering both professional and household scopes. A dedicated body (Soren) handles photovoltaic panels, and some large producers operate approved individual systems. The right organisation depends on your equipment; we point you to the one matching your range.
There is no single national scale set by the State: each organisation publishes its own annual scale, generally in €/tonne by equipment category (with a minimum annual billing of about €200). Amounts therefore vary by organisation and product type and are indicative. The eco-contribution is billed directly by the organisation, at no margin: we only charge the representation service.
Yes, and has been for years. Unlike the postponed extension of professional packaging, the WEEE scheme already applies: registration, membership and reporting are effective.
No. The French Conseil d'État ruled (10 November 2023) that an EPR authorised representative cannot be subrogated to the producer's obligations.