The Unique Identifier (IDU) identifies your company as a producer subject to an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.
We could have told you about the Incredible Destiny of a Used pack. Admit it, that would have made a great article title.
But behind the acronym IDU lies something a little less romantic and far more important for your compliance: the Unique Identifier.
If your company places packaging on the market, this identifier is essential. But what exactly is it for? How is it issued? When will you receive it? And, above all, should you worry if you do not have it yet?
Let’s take a closer look.
The Unique Identifier (IDU) identifies your company as a producer subject to an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Each EPR scheme has its own IDU: if you are subject to several schemes, you therefore have several identifiers.
For the EPR scheme for professional packaging (EPRO), your IDU is assigned by ADEME after you join an approved eco-organisation (we would naturally recommend Twiice). Your eco-organisation (Twiice, of course) registers you with ADEME, a step required for this identifier to be assigned.
Once assigned, your IDU demonstrates your compliance with your EPR obligations. In particular, it must appear in your General Terms and Conditions of Sale and on certain contractual documents. It remains valid as long as your membership is active and your company information is up to date.
A change of contact details, a new subsidiary, a change in your legal status… Remember to update your company information in your MyTwiice account so that it remains accurate.
It’s simple: you obtain your IDU after joining Twiice.
Joining is free and entirely online through MyTwiice, and takes just 10 to 20 minutes.
Once you have signed your agreement, Twiice takes over: we complete the necessary steps with ADEME to register your company and enable your IDU to be assigned.
Under normal circumstances, allow around 3 working days, subject to ADEME processing and issuing the IDU. However, issuing times are currently exceptionally long.
ADEME is currently adapting its SYDEREP platform, which is used, among other things, to register companies under the various EPR schemes.
As soon as registration for EPRO becomes possible, we will complete the necessary steps with ADEME to obtain your IDU. You will then receive it by email and will also be able to find it directly in your member account.
This delay is linked to the scheme’s implementation schedule and has no effect on your regulatory status at this stage.
EPRO will come into effect in France on 1 January 2027. The PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, see our article “PPWR: the European regulation changing the rules for your packaging”) also requires producers to be registered in each Member State’s national register by 12 February 2027 at the latest.
What matters today is that you have started the compliance process. As soon as registration becomes possible, we will take care of the rest.
So, what should you do?
Twiice is monitoring progress on the SYDEREP platform and will register you as soon as this becomes possible.
With that concern taken care of, you can now prepare confidently for EPR: identify the packaging covered, gather your data and prepare for your first declaration.
By joining Twiice, you choose an eco-organisation 100% dedicated to professional packaging, which understands the realities you face. We also make the IDU process easier: we handle the formalities needed to obtain it.
But there is much more at stake than compliance. With proper preparation, EPR can also become an opportunity to manage your packaging and its performance more effectively. So it makes sense to prepare now.
We haven’t found a new way to say it using the acronym IDU, so we’ll put it simply: join Twiice and we’ll take care of the rest.
