Preparing for Canada's Federal Plastics Registry: Is your business ready?

Canada is accelerating efforts to reduce plastic waste, enhance transparency, and hold businesses accountable for the plastics they place on the Canadian market. The Federal Plastics Registry (FPR) is playing a central role in reshaping how plastics are tracked, reported, and reduced. With Phase 1 reports due by September 29, 2025, businesses must act quickly to ensure compliance.

If your business manufactures, imports, or sells plastic products in Canada, here’s what you need to know and how to get ahead.

What is the Federal Plastics Registry?

The FPR is a national, mandatory reporting initiative that requires producers, importers, and sellers of plastic products to disclose detailed information about the plastics they place on the Canadian market. The goal is to collect comprehensive, standardized, and nationwide data to support Canada’s commitment to eliminating plastic waste by 2030. Ultimately, the FPR will enhance Canada’s circular economy strategy, enabling smarter policy and better waste management.

Who must report in 2025 and what needs to be reported?

Under Phase 1, producers must report if they place 1 tonne (1,000 kg) or more of the following regulated plastics into the Canadian residential waste stream annually:

• Plastic packaging
• Single-use or disposable plastic products
• Electronic and electrical equipment

Under the FPR, the term ‘producer’ includes brand owners, manufacturers, importers, and sellers. If you’re part of the supply chain that puts plastic into Canadian homes, you’re likely on the hook.

For the September deadline, qualifying businesses must report on 2024 data and disclose:

• Total quantity of plastics manufactured, imported, or placed on the Canadian market
• Calculation methods used to determine quantity
• Types of plastic resins used (if applicable)
• Product categories and subcategories
• Geographic distribution of plastics

For transparency purposes, some of the reported data may be published by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). There are currently no extensions available, and non-compliance fines can reach up to $500,000 for large corporations.

What's coming next? Understanding the phases

The FPR is being rolled out in phases, each expanding the scope and complexity of reporting. While Phase 1 (September 2025) focuses on residential waste, future phases will include more sectors, materials, and data requirements. Here’s what’s to come:

• Phase 2 (September 2026): The second phase will expand to include resin manufacturers and importers (potentially affecting raw material producers), additional sectors (agriculture, transportation, and construction), and reporting on plastic waste generated at industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) facilities. It will also require more detailed data on end-of-life collection, diversion, and disposal for packaging and single-use or disposable plastic products.
• Phase 3 (September 2027): The third phase will include additional product categories and sectors, and more detailed end-of-life data, including reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling metrics.
• Phase 4 (2028 and beyond): Details regarding the fourth phase are pending but it is expected to broaden the scope and data requirements, particularly in sectors like transportation, construction, fishing and aquaculture, and textiles and apparel.

Key challenges for businesses

Many businesses are already encountering operational and strategic challenges as they prepare for FPR compliance. Here is what we’ve seen so far:

• Data collection complexity: Gathering accurate, detailed data on plastic types, sources, and end-of-life outcomes for products and product categories is resource-intensive, especially for companies with diverse product lines and supply chains.
• New and unfamiliar reporting processes: The requirement to use specific calculation methods and standardized templates is new to some companies, increasing the risk of errors or omissions and posing obstacles throughout the reporting process.
• Tight timelines: With the first deadline set for September 2025 and no possibility for extensions, balancing compliance with ongoing business operations is a significant challenge.
• Evolving requirements: The phased rollout of the FPR means businesses must stay alert to expanding and shifting requirements. Having to adapt strategies and processes to meet evolving expectations year after year adds to compliance burdens.

How we can help

Establishing a clear plan will be the first step for any qualifying company, but it certainly doesn’t stop there. As your sustainability partner, we offer tailored support to help you confidently navigate your obligations.

We can help you:

• Assess your current data management systems
• Identify compliance gaps
• Develop a customized action plan to meet FPR requirements ahead of the deadline(s)
• Design and implement effective processes for tracking, calculating, and documenting required plastics data
• Leverage best practices and digital tools
• Provide ongoing regulatory updates and compliance support as FPR requirements evolve, preparing you for future phases

Complying with the FPR can feel overwhelming, especially with complex data requirements and tight timelines, but you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you need to build a new data system or close a few gaps, our team will meet you where you are - and get you to where you need to be.

Sources

Federal Plastics Registry

Guide for reporting to the Federal Plastics Registry

Technical paper: Federal Plastics Registry