What is an EPR number used for?

It proves you are registered under an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for a specific country and product category. You provide it to marketplaces and authorities to demonstrate that you are declaring and funding the recycling of your products or packaging.

Do I need more than one EPR number?

Usually yes. EPR numbers are country- and category-specific, so a seller active in several EU markets across packaging, electronics and batteries can hold many different numbers. There is no single EU-wide EPR number.

Why does Amazon ask for my EPR number?

Marketplaces have their own obligation to ensure sellers are EPR-compliant. Amazon requests and validates EPR registration numbers for obligated categories — most strictly in France and Germany — and can suppress offers that do not have a valid number.

How do I get an EPR number?

You register as a producer under the relevant national scheme or through a producer responsibility organisation for the country and category you are obligated in. Once registered, the scheme issues your number. The process and the issuing body differ by country.

Glossary

EPR Number

EPR registration number · Producer registration number

An EPR number is the producer registration number issued when you register under a national Extended Producer Responsibility scheme. It proves that you are declaring and funding the recycling of the products or packaging you place on a given market, and marketplaces such as Amazon require it before they allow you to sell in countries like France and Germany.

Last updated: June 2026

Key facts

An EPR number is country- and category-specific — you may hold several different numbers for packaging, electronics and batteries across different EU markets.
It is issued when you register with a national EPR scheme or producer responsibility organisation, not by the EU centrally.
Marketplaces validate EPR numbers and use them to confirm a seller is compliant before publishing offers in obligated countries.
France and Germany are the markets where marketplace enforcement of EPR numbers is currently most strict.

What an EPR number proves

An EPR number is essentially proof of compliance. When you register as an obligated producer in a country, the national scheme or register assigns you an identifier that links your business to your declarations and fee payments for a particular waste category. Providing that number to a marketplace or to authorities shows you are inside the system rather than placing goods on the market without contributing to their recycling.

Because EPR is organised by country and by category, the number is not universal. A single seller can hold a French packaging registration number, a separate French registration for electricals, a German LUCID packaging number, and more — each one tied to a specific obligation in a specific market. There is no single pan-EU EPR number.

How marketplaces use EPR numbers

Marketplaces are increasingly treated as facilitators with their own duty to ensure the sellers on their platform are EPR-compliant. To meet that, they require sellers to enter their EPR registration numbers for the relevant categories and countries, then validate them against the national registers.

If a required EPR number is missing or invalid, the marketplace can block new listings, suppress existing offers, or restrict your ability to sell in that country until you provide a valid number. This is why obtaining EPR numbers is often a hard prerequisite for activating a new EU market rather than an optional nice-to-have.

France and Germany are the markets where this enforcement bites hardest today. Amazon, for instance, requests EPR registration numbers for obligated product categories in both countries and restricts offers that lack them. Other EU countries are progressively tightening their own requirements.

Example

A seller activating Amazon France for electronics typically needs a French packaging EPR registration number plus a separate registration for the electrical/electronic (WEEE) category, each with its own number. Activating Amazon Germany for the same goods requires a German LUCID packaging registration number as well. The seller enters each number in the marketplace's compliance section to unlock selling in that country.

Why it matters for marketplace sellers

Without the right EPR numbers, your offers can be suppressed in France and Germany, so securing them is part of activating those markets, not an afterthought.
Expect to manage multiple EPR numbers — one per category per country — rather than a single registration, and keep them organised so you can supply the correct one when a marketplace asks.
Registrations usually require periodic reporting and fee payments to stay valid, so an EPR number is an ongoing obligation, not a one-time form.
Build EPR registration lead time into your launch plan, because getting registered can take time and your listings may be gated until the number is issued and entered.