As France prepares to implement its Extended Producer Responsibility (REP) framework for professional packaging on July 1, 2026, retailers, growers and supply chain operators are facing new obligations around packaging declaration, reuse, and traceability that are expected to accelerate the shift away from single-use transport packaging.
The new framework builds on France’s Anti-Waste Law for a Circular Economy (AGEC) and introduces stricter requirements for businesses placing professional packaging on the French market. Under the system, companies will need to report packaging volumes annually, join an approved eco-organization or establish an individual compliance system, track packaging flows across supply chains, and progressively increase the share of reusable packaging.
According to IFCO, these obligations are expected to have particular significance for fresh food logistics, where transport packaging moves continuously between producers, distribution centres and retailers, increasing pressure for systems that can combine operational efficiency with compliance-ready data transparency.
France’s broader waste reduction objectives include a target to reduce professional packaging waste by at least 5% by 2030 compared with 2010 levels. The transition is also aligned with wider European reuse ambitions under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which is expected to increase reuse requirements across transport and grouped packaging formats over the coming decade.
For retailers and growers, the operational challenge is no longer limited to packaging selection, but increasingly extends to reporting infrastructure, product protection, reverse logistics and measurable reuse performance.
Against this backdrop, reusable packaging pooling systems are gaining attention as one potential compliance route. IFCO said its SmartCycle pooling model is designed to support large-scale reuse through standardized container circulation, cleaning and redistribution, while digital track-and-trace systems provide visibility into packaging movements and reuse volumes for reporting purposes.
As part of its increased involvement in the French REP framework, IFCO France General Manager Florent Chaffal has joined the board of Citeo Pro, the producer responsibility organisation supporting REP implementation for professional packaging in France.
“Retailers are facing a significant regulatory shift with REP for professional packaging. The priority is to implement solutions that work today and scale across the supply chain. The emphasis is not only on environmental ambition, but on how reuse can be deployed in a way that works under real conditions – including product protection and operational performance. This is where IFCO France, in close collaboration with retailers and suppliers, plays a key role,” said Chaffal.
Citeo Pro works with producers and distributors to support compliance with France’s Extended Producer Responsibility requirements for business-to-business packaging, including collection, sorting, recycling and reuse systems.
With implementation approaching, France’s REP rollout is expected to place increasing emphasis on practical, scalable packaging systems capable of combining compliance, transparency and operational viability across industrial supply chains.
