A PMCB EPR scheme too generic for the concrete industry

Since it came into force in 2023, the PMCB EPR scheme (Construction Products and Materials) requires all producers of construction materials to fund the management of waste from their products.

But the French Concrete Industry Federation (FIB), the National Federation of Recycling Industries (Federec Béton), and the National Union of Aggregate Producers (UNPG) believe that the current scheme does not match the practical realities of inert materials such as concrete, aggregates, or bulk mineral materials.

According to them, the current EPR scheme was designed on a model inspired by light waste sorted at recycling centres (plaster, wood, plastics...), but unsuited to the volumes, logistics and technical constraints of the concrete industry.

A reform proposal: two separate EPR schemes

Representatives of the concrete industry are putting forward a clear proposal:

Create a second EPR scheme specifically dedicated to inert materials, with its own producer responsibility organisations (PROs), its own fee scales, and adapted governance.

The goal:

• Ensure better traceability of large inert material flows;
  
  
• Avoid cross-funding between inert and non-inert products;
  
  
• Address the heavy logistical challenges of concrete: transport, platforms, on-site reuse, and so on.
  
  

An evaluation report on the PMCB EPR scheme is due to be submitted to the government in autumn 2025. The concrete industry intends to make its case, with the support of several local authorities facing rising costs to manage this waste.

What this means for producers

For manufacturers, distributors and importers of construction products, this reform proposal is a signal not to ignore:

• The EPR framework could be redesigned by 2026, with obligations differentiated by material type;
  
  
• Authorised producer responsibility organisations could change, or specialise further by product type;
  
  
• Material traceability will become a key factor: every company will need to know precisely how to categorise its products, in particular to justify affiliation to the correct scheme.
  
  

In a context of regulatory review, producers should already anticipate possible scenarios and structure their product data.

CompliancR: a partner to manage your EPR compliance, even in a shifting context

At CompliancR, we help manufacturers, small businesses and construction industry players to:

• Automatically identify products falling under the PMCB EPR scheme;
  
  
• Determine their categorisation (inert, non-inert, multi-material);
  
  
• Manage declarations for each authorised scheme;
  
  
• Track upcoming regulatory changes, including the possible split of the PMCB EPR scheme.
  
  

Our AI platform is designed to adapt to regulatory changes, and lets you stay on top of your obligations, fee scales and declared volumes, scheme by scheme.

The Construction EPR scheme is entering a new phase. Start preparing your compliance strategy now.

Discover CompliancR, and manage your EPR with full clarity.

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Also read

• PMCB EPR scheme: between moratorium and overhaul, what future for the construction industry?
• A fairer Construction EPR scheme: an important step for the wood industry
• Construction EPR scheme: between regulatory hope and practical reality, an overhaul is expected