FRcenv/L541-10-26Enacted

France Code de l'environnement — Extended Producer Responsibility (REP) provision

Jurisdiction:: France
Type:: EPR · Right to Repair
Last action:: Jan 1, 2024

VehiclesHazardous Materials

What this law has produced

88.3% reused/recycled + 95.6% reused/recovered (2022)

of end-of-life vehicle mass reused/recycled (EU minimum target is 85%)

Article L541-10-26 of the Code de l'environnement places France's end-of-life vehicle (véhicules hors d'usage) sector under Extended Producer Responsibility, requiring dismantlers, depollution and hazardous-waste operators to contract with an approved eco-organisme or individual system, and obliging producers to take vehicles back free of charge. Under the resulting VHU filière, France's reuse-and-recycling rate reached 88.3% of vehicle mass and its reuse-and-recovery rate reached 95.6% in 2022, above the EU minimums of 85% and 95% — a target France reports having met since 2013. Note this 88.3% figure predates the full REP regime (in force 2024), so it reflects the pre-existing VHU program the law now governs rather than an effect the statute itself produced; the new REP added collection targets (65% in 2024 rising to 70% by 2028) whose outcomes are not yet measured.

Produced by a program the law funds or incentivizesAs of Dec 31, 2022Source: Ministère de la Transition écologique (France) ↗

Next steps for producers

Confirm your obligations with ADEME — Registre SYDEREP (French EPR producer register) and track its implementing rules

Applies toProducteurs de véhicules (manufacturers/brand owners of vehicles) subject to Article L. 541-10, who are required to establish or join an éco-organisme or système individuel for end-of-life vehicle management

Obligations under this law

·Ensure take-back (reprise) of end-of-life vehicles from private individuals at the location where the vehicle is held, at no cost to the individual
·Provide a return premium (prime au retour) where it would improve collection effectiveness
·Establish or join an éco-organisme or système individuel (as per Article L. 541-10) to manage end-of-life vehicle operations

ADEME — Registre SYDEREP (French EPR producer register) →

No designated program action is recorded for this measure yet — treat the above as the general obligation and verify against the source text.

Establishes mandatory EPR contracts for end-of-life vehicle management (depollution, hazardous waste treatment) and mandates free take-back of used vehicles with incentive primes to support parts reuse—core EPR and right-to-repair mechanisms under France's established circular-economy framework.

Covered Products

·Véhicules hors d'usage (end-of-life vehicles)
·Pièces détachées issues des véhicules usagés (used vehicle spare parts)
·Déchets dangereux issus des véhicules (hazardous waste from vehicles)

Producer Obligations

·Ensure take-back (reprise) of end-of-life vehicles from private individuals at the location where the vehicle is held, at no cost to the individual
·Provide a return premium (prime au retour) where it would improve collection effectiveness
·Establish or join an éco-organisme or système individuel (as per Article L. 541-10) to manage end-of-life vehicle operations
·Ensure contracted waste management operators cover: (1) take-back of end-of-life vehicles on national territory, (2) depollution of vehicles, and (3) treatment of hazardous waste from vehicles
·Facilitate reuse of spare parts from used vehicles

Producer Definition

Producteurs de véhicules (manufacturers/brand owners of vehicles) subject to Article L. 541-10, who are required to establish or join an éco-organisme or système individuel for end-of-life vehicle management

Preemption Notes

This is a national French provision under the Code de l'environnement; it applies uniformly across France and is not subject to sub-national preemption. It implements EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive obligations at the national level.

Compliance Dimensions

Bans & RestrictionsWaste management operators performing take-back, depollution, or hazardous waste treatment of end-of-life vehicles without a contract with an eco-organism or individual system (Material Restriction)

“Les opérateurs de gestion de déchets ne peuvent procéder aux opérations de gestion des véhicules hors d'usage suivantes que s'ils ont passé des contrats en vue de cette gestion avec les éco-organismes ou les systèmes individuels créés en application de l'article L. 541-10”

PRO StructureCompetitive Pros

“les opérateurs de gestion de déchets ne peuvent procéder aux opérations de gestion des véhicules hors d'usage suivantes que s'ils ont passé des contrats en vue de cette gestion avec les éco-organismes ou les systèmes individuels créés en application de l'article L. 541-10”

View Source ↗

Full bill text

I.-Les opérateurs de gestion de déchets ne peuvent procéder aux opérations de gestion des véhicules hors d'usage suivantes que s'ils ont passé des contrats en vue de cette gestion avec les éco-organismes ou les systèmes individuels créés en application de l'article L. 541-10 : 1° La reprise sur le territoire national des véhicules hors d'usage ; 2° La dépollution des véhicules ; 3° Le traitement des déchets dangereux issus des véhicules. II.-En vue de favoriser la réutilisation des pièces détachées issues des véhicules usagés, les producteurs ou leur éco-organisme assurent la reprise sans frais de ces véhicules auprès des particuliers sur leur lieu de détention. Cette reprise est accompagnée d'une prime au retour, si elle permet d'accompagner l'efficacité de la collecte.

Full text as ingested. Verify against the official source above.