French EPR registration number (IDU): how to get one and where to display it

If a customer asks you for your "IDU", or an online marketplace rejects an offer for lack of this number, what is being asked for is the French EPR unique identifier (identifiant unique, or IDU): the EPR registration number that ADEME (the French Agency for Ecological Transition) assigns to each company covered by a scheme of extended producer responsibility (EPR), one per scheme, to certify its registration in SYDEREP, ADEME's register of producers. It is obtained by joining a producer responsibility organisation (PRO, éco-organisme in French), with no application to ADEME, and must appear in the general terms and conditions of sale (CGV in French) and on the website.

The question arises this autumn for many companies that never needed one before: on 28 July 2026, the French Minister Delegate for Ecological Transition announced that EPR for professional packaging would start on 1 January 2027, and asked every producer in scope to have joined a producer responsibility organisation by the end of the year. The ministerial order that sets this date, open for consultation until 17 September, had not yet been published on 28 September. The identifier itself is not expected before January 2027, which leaves a quarter of the year to prepare the documents in which it will have to appear.

1The IDU: one number per EPR scheme, issued by ADEME

The unique identifier comes from France's Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Act (AGEC) of 2020: Article L. 541-10-13 of the French Environmental Code requires every producer subject to EPR to register with the administration, which issues it with a unique identifier, and then to send it, each year, its data on products placed on the market. The register, SYDEREP, is kept by ADEME; the obligation has applied since 1 January 2022, and the list of registered producers is public.

A company prefix and a scheme code

The Environmental Code does not describe the format, but ADEME's public list makes it readable: of its 306,750 identifiers on 27 September 2026, almost all are 15 characters long, following the pattern FR123456_02ABCD. The first 8 characters are, for 97% of identifiers, the company's own SYDEREP registration number, generally shared by all its schemes; the 2 digits after the underscore give the scheme code: 01 for household packaging and paper, 02 for professional packaging, 04 for construction products, a scheme that is being overhauled in 2027 (in French); the last 4 characters are specific to each identifier.

One company, as many identifiers as schemes

An identifier is valid for one scheme only, packaging included. A garden equipment manufacturer that sells through garden centres and to landscapers may therefore hold 4: 01 for the packaging of its consumer products, 02 for the packaging of its trade-only range, 14 for its petrol lawnmowers, which fall under the DIY and garden scheme, and 05 for its electric hedge trimmers. In the public list, 38,476 companies, or 15% of the total, already hold at least 2 identifiers, and 2 of them hold as many as 14.

2How to obtain your IDU: through your PRO, not through ADEME

In the general case, the company asks ADEME for nothing: the PRO registers it in SYDEREP when it joins, and ADEME states that a member cannot register itself.

Through your PRO or through an individual compliance scheme

On joining, the PRO collects the registration details: company name, SIRET number (the identification number of a French business establishment) and NAF code (the French activity classification) for a French company, intra-Community VAT number for an EU company, contact details and the product categories covered. It registers the company in SYDEREP, then communicates its identifier to the company. Producers that organise the end of life of their own products, through an individual compliance scheme approved by the French ministry, receive their IDU directly from ADEME: for professional packaging, this is the case for 3 pools of reusable packaging: Euro Pool System, International Pallet Pool and La Palette Rouge.

Professional packaging: an IDU expected from January 2027

For the new scheme, the identifier does not yet follow membership. Citeo Pro states in its FAQ that its members' IDU will not be made available before 1 January 2027, and Twiice, whose normal lead time is about 72 working hours, reports that ADEME is currently adapting SYDEREP. The public list reflects this: on 27 September 2026, the scheme had only 1,063 identifiers, all for catering, the only scope already open.

In our view at Projet Celsius, waiting for the identifier before joining would be a mistake: the contract covers the whole calendar year and all of the member's professional packaging in any case, with a single PRO chosen from Citeo Pro, Léko Pro and Twiice. Until January, the proof of membership, which the Environmental Code lists among the documents to be submitted each year, is the document to give to customers who ask for proof.

Producers established outside France

A company not established in France that sells products covered by an EPR scheme there must, since 10 July 2026, appoint an authorised representative established in France which handles membership, obtains the identifier and files the declarations in its place, under the law of 8 July 2026 known as the "anti fast-fashion" law, unless an online marketplace established in France already ensures these obligations for the company's products. ADEME distinguishes the authorised representative from the facilitator, who only handles the membership formalities, and our EPR authorised representative test tells you in 3 questions whether the appointment applies to you.

3Where to display the IDU: terms and conditions of sale, contracts and website

Article R. 541-173 of the Environmental Code, which comes from a decree of November 2020, requires the IDU to appear in 2 places, and the law adds disclosure to any buyer who asks for it.

In the general terms and conditions of sale

Every producer must state its IDU in the document setting out its general terms and conditions of sale or, if it has none, in any other contractual document given to the buyer: framework agreement, accepted quotation, purchase order. A dedicated clause, listing each identifier with its scheme, is enough; the Environmental Code does not require it to be repeated on invoices or on the packaging.

On the website, with the legal notices

A company that has a website must publish its IDU there on the same terms as its legal notices (mentions légales in French), those of Article 19 of the French law on confidence in the digital economy, which must be easily accessible to any visitor. In practice, the "Legal notices" page linked from the footer, next to the SIRET number and the VAT number, meets the obligation.

On request from a buyer

Finally, Article L. 541-10-10 requires any seller of a product covered by an EPR scheme to give its buyer, on request, the producer's identifier. A distributor that is not itself a producer must therefore obtain the IDUs of its suppliers in order to be able to answer, including in public procurement (in French) (in French).

4What the IDU proves to online marketplaces and customers

Under French law, an online marketplace that facilitates the sale of products covered by an EPR scheme on behalf of a third-party seller becomes liable for EPR on those sales, unless it holds proof that this seller meets its obligations. Article L. 541-10-9 states that holding an IDU counts as that proof: platforms therefore ask their sellers for it, and may suspend the listings of those that cannot show one.

The European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) extends this check across the European Union: a platform that lets consumers buy packaged products must obtain the producer's registration number in the buyer's country before accepting it.

Checking a supplier's IDU

ADEME publishes the list of registered producers as open data, updated every day, with a search engine by company name, SIRET number or identifier. Checking is worthwhile because an IDU can be withdrawn: for a member, removal is at the sole initiative of the PRO, and takes effect if the company does not join another PRO. The IDU says nothing, however, about the conformity of the packaging itself, which falls under the EU declaration of conformity required by the PPWR.

What a missing identifier costs

Article L. 541-9-5 of the Environmental Code provides for an administrative fine of up to €30,000 for a producer that is not registered in ADEME's register, that has declared incorrect data there, or that has not included its IDU in its mandatory information. It comes on top of the penalties for failure to join a scheme, provided for in the same article: up to €7,500 per tonne or per unit of product for a company, and a daily penalty payment of up to €20,000.

Lastly, the identifier is valid only in France, since each Member State keeps its own register of producers: the PPWR, which has applied since 12 August 2026, requires registration in each country where packaging is placed on the market for the first time, as our article on who is affected by the PPWR explains.

5Key takeaways

• One IDU per scheme, issued by ADEME: 15 characters, including a company prefix and a scheme code.
• It is obtained by joining a producer responsibility organisation, which registers the company in SYDEREP.
• For professional packaging, membership is expected before 31 December 2026, and the identifier will not be issued before January 2027.
• It is published in the terms and conditions of sale and on the website, with the legal notices; its absence exposes the company to a fine of up to €30,000.

For the scheme itself, our article on EPR for professional packaging sets out the scope, the fee schedules and the timetable, and packaging eco-design remains the lever for reducing the fee. Our PPWR support service takes care of membership and of updating your sales documents.

Further resources

Frequently asked questions

1I already have an IDU for my household packaging: does it cover my professional packaging?

No: an identifier is valid for one scheme only. Your household packaging falls under scheme 01, declared to your household packaging PRO; your professional packaging will receive a separate IDU, with code 02, after you join Citeo Pro, Léko Pro or Twiice. The 2 identifiers should share the same prefix, your SYDEREP registration number, as they do for the 715 companies that already hold the 2 identifiers.

2Does the IDU have to appear on invoices or on the packaging?

No: the Environmental Code requires it to be stated in the general terms and conditions of sale, or failing that in another contractual document given to the buyer, and on the website with the legal notices. Repeating it on quotations or invoices remains possible and makes customers' work easier, but is not required.

3How long does it take to obtain an IDU?

Normally, the identifier follows membership within a few days: Twiice states about 72 working hours, subject to processing by ADEME. For professional packaging, Citeo Pro warns that it will not be made available before 1 January 2027, while ADEME adapts SYDEREP; Twiice specifies that this delay has no impact, at this stage, on the regulatory position of its members.

4I resell products without making them: do I need an IDU?

Not necessarily: the identifier belongs to the producer, that is, the company that places the product or its packaging on the French market for the first time, whether manufacturer, importer or brand owner. A reseller must, however, give its customers, if they ask, the IDU of its suppliers. If it imports or sells under its own brand, it becomes a producer and must join itself; the case of small businesses is covered in our article on the obligations of a micro-business.

5Is my French IDU valid in other EU countries?

No: it shows registration in the French register, and each Member State keeps its own. The European packaging regulation requires registration in each country where packaging is placed on the market for the first time, and the appointment of an authorised representative there when selling at a distance without being established in that country; each register then issues its own number.

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