Triman Logo & Info-tri: French Packaging Labelling Guide

TL;DR: For ordinary household packaging sold in France, assess the Triman logo and the accompanying Info-tri sorting instructions together. The logo alone does not explain how to sort each packaging component. Use the current artwork supplied through the relevant packaging scheme, check placement and any small-pack exception, and keep EPR registration separate from artwork approval. PPWR's general application in August 2026 did not create a blanket permission to remove French sorting labels.

Source check: 29 September 2026. Scope: household packaging for ordinary consumer goods placed on the French market, including by overseas brands. Product-stream labels, industrial packaging, hazardous goods and deposit/reuse systems need their own assessment. The examples below explain the review process; they are not print-ready regulatory labels.

What is the Triman logo, and how is Info-tri different?

Triman is the French symbol indicating that sorting rules apply. Info-tri identifies the product or packaging elements concerned and tells the consumer where to put them. It is therefore misleading to treat Triman as a general certificate that an entire product is recyclable. France's environment ministry explains the label's components.

Information structure: symbol → components → sorting destination. This is an explanation of the information structure, not a replacement for official artwork.

Who needs to check French packaging labelling?

Article L541-9-3 of the French Environmental Code addresses household products subject to EPR and expressly excludes household glass beverage packaging from that provision. Being an overseas business is not a general exemption. Start by classifying what you place on the French market, who receives it and which EPR stream applies. Read the legal scope, then the relevant scheme's implementation guidance.

For packaging, Citeo's current guidance covers single-use household packaging and explains the treatment of packaging reusable or refillable at home. Other reuse arrangements may call for different information. Do not copy instructions from a similar-looking box without checking its use and system.

An electronic product and its box can belong to different EPR streams. A disposal mark for the device does not, by itself, settle the packaging label. This guide deals with the packaging decision; review the product's own markings separately.

Where do I get the correct Triman and Info-tri artwork?

Use the Citeo guide and graphic-file kit, or the equivalent current resources provided by your approved scheme. Citeo also offers an Info-tri generator through its client portal. A standalone logo downloaded from an image search will not tell you which component names, pictograms, sorting destination or layout variant to use.

Before requesting artwork, prepare a short packaging specification:

• List the retail box, insert, bag, sleeve and shipping packaging separately.
• Record the material of each part using supplier documentation.
• Identify which components the consumer can separate.
• State whether the packaging is single-use, reusable or refillable and how that system works.
• Provide dimensions and a flat artwork file showing the available space.
• Confirm that France is a destination and whether the same artwork serves other countries.

Ask the designer to retain the source kit version with the artwork file. That makes a later change review much easier than reconstructing why a symbol was chosen.

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Where should the label go? Can it be digital?

The French implementing rules require the symbol and sorting information to be grouped and set out specific conditions for digital information. Article R541-12-21 permits both elements to be digital when the largest side is below 10 cm² and no other document accompanies the product; between 10 and 20 cm², only the sorting information may be digital. The thresholds are doubled for cylindrical or spherical products or packaging. Check the complete current implementing provisions before claiming an exception.

For in-scope household packaging, the symbol must appear on the packaging, subject to the applicable exceptions. For an ordinary box with sufficient space, include the symbol and adjacent sorting information in the artwork. Citeo's small-pack guidance explains the distinction between keeping Triman on-pack and moving the accompanying information online.

Measure the actual packaging, not the small area the designer would prefer to reserve for the label. Do not assume a QR code is a universal substitute. If a permitted digital route is used, keep the information accessible and tied to the correct pack version.

Can I use a sticker?

Yes. Article R541-12-21 expressly allows the symbol and sorting information to be applied as stickers. Check it against the current scheme guide: correct content, dimensions, legibility, placement and durability in normal handling. Inspect the final sale unit with the sticker applied, including any outer wrapping. A label file sitting in the supplier's inbox does not show that the finished goods carry it.

Worked example: a carton, plastic bag and shipping box

Consider an overseas brand shipping an electronic accessory to a French household. The accessory sits in a folding carton, with a removable plastic bag, and is dispatched in a corrugated shipping box. Build the review from the physical components:

The final label could use component wording or approved pictograms, depending on the applicable scheme layout. This example deliberately does not prescribe a universal bin instruction: the correct artwork must follow the current guidance and the packaging actually supplied.

Does EPR registration make the packaging label compliant?

No. Registration and scheme arrangements deal with the responsible producer and waste-management obligations; the artwork review checks the information supplied with the goods. Neither should be used as a substitute for the other.

Use two separate release records: an EPR record showing the responsible business and arrangements, and an artwork record showing the approved pack version. Link both to the same product and destinations. Our EPR registration and reporting service and label and manual review service address these complementary tasks.

Does PPWR replace Triman and Info-tri in 2026?

Do not remove the French information simply because PPWR generally applies from 12 August 2026. Its harmonised material-composition label has a separate timetable under Article 12(1): 12 August 2028 or 24 months after the relevant implementing acts enter into force, whichever is later. The Commission's guidance on the transition explains when harmonised labels replace national ones.

A legal challenge is also not the same as a repeal. The published Commission v France case notice, C-249/26 concerns the national marking requirements. It should not be read as a judgment authorising businesses to stop using them. Check the current rules and any subsequent decision when approving artwork.

Keep an update date in your packaging specification. A print run planned for later years needs a fresh transition check, rather than a permanent assumption based on today's label.

Seven checks before approving a French print run

1. Scope: confirm household packaging, destination and the applicable scheme.
2. Components: reconcile the label with the bill of packaging materials.
3. Artwork source: use current official files and record the version.
4. Placement: inspect the label after folding, sealing and wrapping.
5. Exceptions: document measurements and the specific rule if relying on small-pack or digital treatment.
6. Other obligations: review product markings, manual languages and packaging traceability separately.
7. Release evidence: retain the proof, approval record, material specifications and photographs of the finished pack.

Preparing packaging for more than France?

Our EU packaging labelling country guide compares the France, Germany and Italy workstreams. A single master design can be useful, but national information must remain clear and relevant.

For help before printing, send EcoComply the artwork, packaging specification, manual and destination list. We can scope the documentation and labelling review alongside your packaging EPR requirements. Browse the EPR resource hub for related country and reporting guides.

Sources and review notes

Sources checked on 29 September 2026. Use the legislation for scope and the current scheme guide for artwork implementation. This article does not reproduce or replace an approved print file.

• French Environmental Code, Article L541-9-3: sorting-information scope.
• Articles R541-12-17 to R541-12-24: implementing rules, including small formats.
• French Ministry: understanding Info-tri.
• Citeo: packaging Info-tri and graphic resources.
• Regulation (EU) 2025/40, Article 12 and Commission Notice C/2026/3084.
• Case C-249/26: published action notice.