Federal Plastics Registry
The Federal Plastics Registry (FPR) collects data from companies across the plastics value chain to help monitor and track plastic from the time it is produced up to its end of life. By better tracking plastic through its full life cycle, Canada is better equipped to address plastic waste and pollution through increased transparency and sound, robust, evidence-based decision-making.
About the FPR
The FPR requires companies (including resin manufacturers, service providers, generators of waste, and producers of plastic products) to report annually on the quantity and types of plastic they manufacture, import, and place on the market. Producers of plastic products and service providers are also required to report on the quantity of plastic collected and diverted, reused, repaired, remanufactured, refurbished, recycled, processed into chemicals, composted, incinerated, and landfilled. They are also required to report on the amount of plastic waste generated on their industrial, commercial, and institutional premises.
The FPR provides Canadians, including innovators and decision-makers, with reliable data that will identify opportunities for further action to reduce plastic waste and pollution, as well as help monitor progress over time.
In Canada, the responsibility for managing waste is shared among the federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments. As part of their responsibilities, provinces and territories develop and expand extended producer-responsibility programs to make producers responsible for managing their products at their end-of-life. While extended producer responsibility plays an important role in building a circular plastics economy, reporting requirements are inconsistent across Canada due to different definitions, calculations, and indicators of success.
That's why the Canada-wide Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste committed federal, provincial, and territorial governments to developing and maintaining Canada-wide data on how plastic moves through the economy. The FPR will help address these needs by providing accessible, consistent and robust plastic data. This information will go beyond plastic packaging and other plastic categories currently captured through domestic extended producer-responsibility programs.
What Needs to be Reported
The FPR has various reporting requirements for various companies along the plastics value chain in Canada.
Companies obligated to report to the FPR
The following companies/organizations are required to report to the FPR:
- Manufacturers and Importers of Plastic Resins: A person that manufactures or imports plastic resins and places them on the market in Canada
- Producers of Plastic Products: A person that imports, manufactures, and places plastic packaging or plastic products on the market in Canada. Producers can be brand owners, importers, manufacturers, or retailers, including marketplace facilitators and marketplace sellers
- Generators of Plastic Waste at an ICI Facility: A person that generates plastic packaging and plastic product waste at their industrial, commercial, or institutional (ICI) facility
- Service Providers in Plastic Management: A person that manages plastics via the following activities:
- Collecting or hauling
- Arranging for direct reuse
- Refurbishing
- Repairing
- Remanufacturing
- Mechanical recycling
- Chemical recycling
- Processing into chemicals, including fuels
- Composting
- Incineration with energy recovery
- Incineration for industrial processes
- Incineration without energy recovery
- Landfilling
Reporting requirements
Companies obligated to report to the FPR will be required to provide the following information:
- The category and subcategory of packaging or plastic products
- The resin type in packaging or plastic products
- Quantity of each resin in packaging or plastic products in kg
- Calculation methods
Exceptions
To help ensure that the FPR focuses on significant contributors to plastic waste while reducing administrative burdens on smaller companies, certain persons are exempt from reporting requirements:
- Small Producers and Importers: Persons that manufacture, import, or place on the market less than 1000 kg of plastic products or packaging per calendar year are exempt from reporting requirements.
- Small Waste Generators: Persons that generate less than 1000 kg of packaging and plastic product waste at their industrial, commercial, or institutional (ICI) facility per calendar year are also exempt.
- Small Waste Managers: Service providers that manage less than 1000 kg of plastic via activities such as collecting, recycling, or disposal per calendar year are exempt from reporting.
Reporting Timelines
Reporting requirements for the FPR will be introduced in phases to allow time for those obligated to report to meet the requirements. Reporting to the FPR will start in September of 2025 with Phase 1, requiring reporting on plastic placed on the market in three categories for the 2024 calendar year. In 2026, Phase 2 adds reporting requirements for resin manufacturers and importers, for the three categories that reported during Phase 1, as well as reporting on plastic placed on the market for remaining categories.
Phase 2 will also see the introduction of reporting on plastic waste generated at ICI facilities and the introduction of reporting for plastic collected and sent for diversion and disposal for some categories.
In 2027, Phase 3 adds additional reporting on plastics collected and sent for diversion and disposal for more categories. Reporting requirements for Phase 4 will be covered in a future information gathering notice. A simplified version of the phases of reporting are outlined in the table below.
Category | Quantity of resin: |
Quantity of plastic in packaging and products: |
Quantity of plastic waste generated at a facility | Quantity of plastic collected at end of life | Quantity of plastic sent for diversion | Quantity of plastic sent for disposal |
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Plastic Resins | 2026 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Packaging | N/A | 2025 | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 |
Electronic and Electrical Equipment (EEE) | N/A | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2027 | 2027 |
Single-use or disposable plastic products | N/A | 2025 | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 |
Agriculture and Horticulture | N/A | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 |
Tires | N/A | 2026 | 2026 | 2027 | 2027 | 2027 |
Transportation | N/A | 2026 | 2026 | Beyond 2027 | Beyond 2027 | Beyond 2027 |
Construction | N/A | 2026 | 2026 | Beyond 2027 | Beyond 2027 | Beyond 2027 |
Fishing and aquaculture | N/A | 2026 | 2026 | Beyond 2027 | Beyond 2027 | Beyond 2027 |
Textiles and apparel | N/A | 2026 | 2026 | Beyond 2027 | Beyond 2027 | Beyond 2027 |
N/A – Not Applicable
Guidance Materials
This page provides guidance and resources for anyone required to report to the FPR, and others interested in learning about FPR reporting requirements.
Resources
The use of these resources is not mandatory, nor necessary for organizations to fulfil their reporting obligations. They are designed to assist organizations in understanding the reporting requirements and in determining if they are required to report.
- Guide for Reporting to the Federal Plastics Registry - Phase 1
- A guidance document has been prepared to provide assistance in responding to the notice. This version of the document is focused on Phase 1 reporting requirements – reports due in 2025 on 2024 data. It provides a general overview of the reporting requirements as well as additional guidance materials which include tools such as calculation methods and other aids.
- Foreign Supplier Letter
- When responding to the notice, you are required to provide information that your organization possesses or to which you may be reasonably expected to have access. Your supply chain may be able to provide more detailed information on the plastic composition in your products and packaging. Suppliers may have information that you may not be aware of. Any person requiring more detailed information on the plastic composition of their products is required to contact their suppliers.
- To that end, a Government of Canada letter for communicating with your foreign suppliers is available. The letter may help you obtain information from your suppliers in order to complete your response to the notice. The letter is available in English, French, Chinese (simplified) and Spanish. To receive a copy of the letter, please email RFP-FPR@ec.gc.ca with the subject line ‘Foreign Supplier Letter' and include the languages of the letters you would like to receive.
- User guides for using the online reporting platform
- Several user guides have been prepared to help users use the FPR's new reporting platform. These user guides are available on the new reporting platform or upon request. To obtain copies, please submit a request by email to RFP-FPR@ec.gc.ca.
Online Reporting Platform
Access the FPR's new online reporting platform. The new online reporting platform is a safe, secure, and reliable way to report data for the FPR. The platform was developed from the ground up with a modern, easy to use interface that ensures a seamless reporting experience for all.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The purpose of the FPR
The FPR is an inventory of data on plastics in Canada. It is a tool to monitor and track plastic. It serves to improve our knowledge of plastic usage, waste, value recovery, and pollution across Canada and provide useful information for stakeholders, government, and Canadians. The FPR is a key source of information that the government can use to support the implementation and monitoring of different measures that are part of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste.
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Plastics included in the FPR
The notice applies to all plastic resins, plastic packaging, and plastic products that are manufactured in Canada, imported into Canada, or placed on the market in Canada.
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Who must submit reports to the FPR
- Anyone who manufactures, imports, and places plastic resins on the market in Canada
- Anyone who is a producer of plastic products
- Anyone who generates plastic packaging and product waste at an ICI facility
- Anyone who is a service provider that manages plastics or plastic packaging and products for diversion
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Provincial reporting required for packaging materials
The FPR does not replace any provincial reports that producers are required to submit. Currently, provincial reporting requirements are inconsistent across Canada, using different definitions, calculations, and measurements of success. This makes it hard for Canadians to access country-wide data and information on Canada's advancement towards its goal of zero plastic waste. The FPR harmonizes data and makes it openly accessible in one place.
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Reporting the export of plastic products
Producers are required to report on plastic resins and plastic products that are manufactured in Canada, imported into Canada, or placed on the market in Canada. They are not required to report on products that are exported outside of Canada.
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Reporting on the country of origin of the plastic resin, packaging, or plastic product
Reporting on the country of origin of an imported plastic resin, packaging, or plastic product is not required.
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Companies outside of Canada reporting to the FPR
Companies outside of Canada that export their products to Canada do not need to report to the FPR. Only persons resident in Canada, with a Canadian address, have the responsibility to report on the plastics in the products that are imported.
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Reporting on both unfilled and filled packaging of a product on the market in Canada
The producer must report on the unfilled packaging that they manufacture and the filled packaging that they place on the market.
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Products made from multiple resin types (for example: multi-layer bags that are woven PP with inner and outer LDPE layers)
Producers are required to report on each type of plastic in their products. The producer must provide the required data for the PP and LDPE in the product.
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Reporting products made from 100% recycled plastics
Producers must specify the resin source as either post-consumer recycled resin or post-industrial recycled resin.
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Designating another person to make a report on the producer’s behalf
Producers have the option of designating a producer responsibility organization (PRO), engaged to fulfil their extended producer responsibility (EPR) or stewardship obligations, to prepare a report to the FPR on their behalf. They may also designate another person, if no EPR or stewardship obligations exist, to make a report on their behalf.
The producer is still ultimately responsible for submitting the report and ensuring that the information submitted is accurate and correct.
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Who reports if a marketplace facilitator supplies products that have a brand owner in Canada/Marketplace facilitator supplying products that have a brand owner in Canada
The brand owner is the obligated producer and has the obligation to report to the FPR.
A marketplace facilitator only becomes obligated for products supplied through its marketplace where the producer would have been a retailer (ie. there is no brand owner resident in Canada, no manufacturer in Canada, and no other importer). The marketplace facilitator is the retailer and is the first to place the product on the market. If the producer is a brand owner or an importer, they remain the obligated producer even when products are distributed by a marketplace facilitator.
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Who reports if a marketplace seller places products on the market independent of a marketplace facilitator/ Marketplace seller placing products on the market independent of a marketplace facilitator
The marketplace seller would have an obligation to report on the plastics they place on the market independent of the marketplace facilitator.
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Who reports if a marketplace seller who is a brand owner in Canada places their products on the market with a marketplace facilitator/Marketplace seller who is a brand owner in Canada placing their products on the market with a marketplace facilitator
If the marketplace seller is the product brand owner who resides in Canada, they are obligated to report on the products they manufacture, import and place on the market.
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Reporting if an agricultural producer places their product on the market in reusable plastic containers, collects them and then refills and reuses them
The agricultural producer would be required to report on the quantity of each resin in the plastic containers placed on the market in Canada. The producer would also report (as a service provider) the quantity of each resin in the plastic containers collected at the end of life and sent for diversion, and the quantity of each resin in the plastic containers diverted for direct reuse. They would report under the “agricultural totes and drums” subcategory in the “agriculture & horticulture” category.
Collecting for reuse is a separate data point, and that would be reported too. The agricultural producer would report as a producer, and as a service provider.
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Penalties for non-compliance
Subsections 272.1(2), (3) and (4) of CEPA set the penalties for persons who contravene section 46 of the Act. Offences include the offence of failing to comply with an obligation arising from the present notice and the offence of providing false or misleading information. Penalties include fines, and the amount of the fine can range from a maximum of $25,000 for an individual convicted following summary proceedings to a maximum of $500,000 for a large corporation convicted on indictment. The maximum fines are double for second or subsequent offences.
Public Consultation and Engagement
The Government of Canada has consulted extensively during the establishment of the FPR. We will continue to engage and consult with Canadians as the FPR progresses, as we consider the advice of stakeholders – the providers and users of our data – and the public invaluable as we plan our data collection activities, develop reporting requirements and create tools to interpret data.
Ongoing consultations
- There are no ongoing consultations at this time
Past Consultations
- On December 30, 2023, we published a Notice of intent to issue a section 46 notice for the Federal Plastics Registry to create an inventory of data in the Canada Gazette, Part I. A 45-day public comment period followed the publication of the Notice of Intent. The public comment period closed on February 13, 2024.
- On April 18, 2023, we published the Technical paper: Federal Plastics Registry on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA) registry. A 30-day public comment period followed the publication of the Technical paper. The public comment period closed on May 18, 2023.
- On July 25, 2022 we published the Consultation paper: a proposed federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products (PDF) on the CEPA registry. The public comment period closed on October 7, 2022. In February 2023, we published a What we heard report which summarized the feedback received on the discussion paper from written comments, stakeholder discussion sessions and webinars.
Legal Requirements: Canada Gazette Notice
Information for the FPR will be collected in accordance with subsection 46(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). Under the authority of CEPA, companies that meet published reporting requirements are required to report. Companies that meet reporting requirements but which fail to report, do not report on time, or knowingly submit false or misleading information, could face penalties as listed under Section 272 and 273 of CEPA.
Name | Date Published |
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Notice with respect to reporting of plastic resins and certain plastic products for the Federal Plastics Registry for 2024, 2025 and 2026 | April 20, 2024 |
Contact Us
Mailing Address:
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Plastics Regulatory Affairs Division
351 St. Joseph Blvd., Place Vincent Massey
Gatineau QC K1A 0H3
Email: RFP-FPR@ec.gc.ca
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