The EPR scheme for sports and leisure equipment already affects the daily operations of manufacturers, importers and online sellers of sports items. In force since 2022, it requires all producers to fund the end-of-life management of the equipment they sell, from bicycles to rackets to trampolines.

In this article, we cover the legal framework, the parties concerned and the concrete obligations, then show how to turn this requirement into a lever for structuring your EPR compliance.

EPR for Sports and Leisure Equipment (ASL): Are You Concerned?

Reading time: ~11 min

1. Understanding the EPR scheme for sports and leisure equipment

2. EPR for sports equipment: who is considered a producer

3. What obligations apply to businesses in the ASL scheme

4. The ASL EPR scheme in an increasingly complex landscape

5. Mini FAQ on the EPR scheme for sports and leisure equipment

Understanding the EPR scheme for sports and leisure equipment

A reminder of the legal framework

Established by the AGEC law of 2020 (articles L 541-10-8 and following of the French Environmental Code), the scheme took effect on 1 January 2022. The producer who places sports and leisure equipment on the French market must fund and organise the collection, reuse, repair and recycling of these products.

The stated goal is the reuse of 12,000 tonnes of equipment by 2027, with increasing traceability and eco-design requirements. This scheme adds to those already in place for packaging, WEEE, textiles, furniture, batteries, construction and others, making compliance complex for online sellers and importers.

Which sports and leisure products are concerned

The scope covers almost all sports, leisure and cycling items: sports equipment (balls, rackets, skis, boards, fitness equipment, goals, etc.), play equipment (trampolines, ping-pong tables, outdoor games, play structures), cycles and similar vehicles (bicycles, non-electric scooters, cycle accessories) as well as accessories and consumables linked to sports or leisure activities.

Technical clothing and sports shoes, however, fall under the textile scheme managed by the producer responsibility organisation (PRO) Refashion. A single catalogue can therefore mix ASL, WEEE, packaging, textile or construction products, making it harder to identify obligations.

EPR for sports equipment: who is considered a producer

The definition of producer is very broad: any business responsible for the first placing on the market of a sports or leisure item in France is considered a producer.

• Manufacturers selling under their own brand

• Importers of products manufactured outside France

• Businesses introducing products from another EU country

• Assemblers selling a finished product

• Resellers under their own brand

• Distance sellers established outside France

• Platforms, when their third-party sellers are not compliant

Marketplaces are therefore exposed: if their sellers are not EPR compliant, they can be considered producers themselves. More details are available in the article: EPR for marketplaces and their third-party sellers.

What obligations apply to businesses in the ASL scheme

Registration as a producer

The business must register on the national registry (Syderep), obtain an EPR unique identification number (UIN) for the ASL scheme and join the authorised producer responsibility organisation (PRO) Ecologic, or set up an approved individual system. For sellers already registered with other PROs, this new membership adds to what can already be a long list of fee scales and deadlines.

Declarations and eco-contributions

Each year, the quantities placed on the market are declared to Ecologic. Eco-contributions depend on the product category, its weight and sometimes eco-design criteria. The fee scale includes bonuses and penalties. Non-payment can lead to fines of up to €30,000.

For a seller operating across several countries and schemes, the administrative burden quickly becomes heavy, a problem the CompliancR platform aims to solve.

Specific obligations for distributors and online sellers

Since 1 January 2023, free take-back of used items is mandatory: one-for-one take-back for stores of 200 to 400 m² and for distance sales exceeding €100,000 in ASL turnover; one-for-zero take-back for stores over 400 m². Sellers must organise this take-back at delivery, inform customers and direct the items to authorised collection points.

The ASL EPR scheme in an increasingly complex landscape

A growing number of EPR schemes to manage

Batteries, furniture, construction materials, fishing plastics or new packaging categories: the scope of obligations keeps expanding. For a bicycle manufacturer or a site specialising in outdoor games, each product may fall under several schemes at once. Without the right tools, manual tracking quickly becomes unmanageable.

We document these changes on our EPR blog.

How CompliancR simplifies EPR for sports and leisure equipment

As an authorised representative, CompliancR handles this complexity for you:

Managing relationships with the main French producer responsibility organisations

Obtaining the unique identification numbers required by marketplaces

Automatic catalogue analysis to identify the applicable schemes

Applying up-to-date fee scales to calculate eco-contributions

Generating and filing declarations by the legal deadlines

Mini FAQ on the EPR scheme for sports and leisure equipment

I sell small sports accessories on a marketplace. Am I really concerned?

Yes. The scheme is not limited to large equipment; many accessories are included. If you are the first to place the product on the market in France, you are a producer, even through a marketplace. In case of non-compliance, the platform may penalise you or be considered a producer itself and then seek recourse against you.

I am a distributor with several physical stores. What do I need to set up?

Beyond joining Ecologic and filing declarations, you must organise the free take-back of used items according to your store size (one-for-one or one-for-zero) and inform your customers of the practical arrangements.

How do I know if a product falls under the ASL scheme or another scheme?

Look at the nature of the product, its main use, its materials and whether it contains electrical components. For example: a conventional (non-electric) bicycle falls under ASL; its packaging falls under the packaging scheme, and some textile accessories fall under the textile scheme. The CompliancR algorithm automates this classification to limit errors and corrections.

Can I manage EPR for sports equipment myself without an authorised representative?

Yes, but you will need to handle registration, regulatory monitoring, fee scale tracking and all declarations for every scheme you fall under. For many online retailers, this internal workload quickly becomes too heavy, which is why fully delegating it to an authorised representative is worth considering.

The EPR scheme for sports and leisure equipment marks a major step in holding producers accountable, while adding a layer of complexity. Identifying your producer status, mapping the products concerned, organising take-back and calculating eco-contributions require a structured, multi-scheme approach. By outsourcing this management, you secure your compliance and free up time for your core business. To learn more, read all our blog articles on EPR or discover our solutions.