A European regulatory requirement: Stemming from the transposition of the European regulation E-PRTR, the GEREP declaration requires operators of facilities with a high environmental impact to record their pollutant releases and waste production each year.A broad scope of facilities: This primarily targets industrial sites (ICPE requiring authorization or registration), quarries, refineries, the chemical industry, urban wastewater treatment plants, and all companies subject to the Emissions Trading System (ETS).Cross-functional environmental data: Operators must declare their releases into the air, water, and soil once regulatory thresholds are exceeded, as well as the total quantity of waste produced (hazardous or otherwise) and their energy consumption.A strict and differentiated schedule: Electronic reporting takes place during the first quarter of the year following the reporting period (N+1), with a deadline of February 28 for companies in the carbon market (ETS) and March 31 for all others. Please note: This article concerns French legislation. The requirements described may not apply in other countries.
Each year, operators of certain facilities must complete their GEREP declaration. This central mechanism is used to annually record a site's main pollutant emissions (water, air, soil) as well as its waste production. How do you go about it?
The GEREP declaration historically stems from the transposition into French law of Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of 18 January 2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, known as the E-PRTR (European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register)regulation. Today, this mechanism is a direct continuation of the new European Union regulation creating the Industrial Emissions Portal, which enhances transparency by expanding the data to be reported to include the circular economy and resource use.
Under French law, these provisions are transposed into theministerial decree of January 31, 2008, as amended,relating to the register and annual reporting of pollutant emissions from classified installations subject to authorization or registration. All this data is made available to the public on the national register and centralized at the European level to track the industry's decarbonization trajectory.
Which facilities are subject to GEREP reporting?
Facilities required to report their annual emissions into water, air, and soil are:
a) Facilities carrying out one of the following activities:
- Classified installations subject to authorization or registration, excluding non-intensive livestock farming;
- Installations subject to the Emissions Trading System (ETS);
- Extraction sites and quarries;
- Certain urban wastewater treatment plants;
- Certain fish farms.
b) Facilities carrying out one of the activities listed in Annex I of the "E-PRTR" regulation: refineries, thermal power plants, metal production and processing, foundries, glass manufacturing, chemical industry, etc.
What data must be reported in GEREP?
The items to be reported depend on the specific situation of each installation and whether certain thresholds are met. These include the following:
| Medium / Pathway | Data and pollutants to be reported | Specific thresholds & conditions |
| ☁️ AIR | • Chronic and accidental emissions of certain pollutants (e.g. combustion, solvents...).
• Data from the Solvent Management Plan (SMP).
• Fluorinated gas emissions. | Depending on whether the regulatory thresholds set by the nomenclature, per substance or per activity, are exceeded. |
| 💧 WATER | • Chronic and accidental emissions of certain pollutants.
• Total volumes consumed or abstracted.
• Heat discharged directly into the sea or rivers. |
| 🌱 SOIL | • Chronic and accidental emissions of certain pollutants.
• Quantities of waste, effluent or sewage sludge spread on land. |
| ♻️ WASTE | • Hazardous waste: Total quantities generated.
• Non-hazardous waste: Total quantities generated.
• Specific activities: Quantities of waste accepted or treated. | • Hazardous waste: Mandatory if > 2 t/year.
• Non-hazardous waste: Mandatory if > 2,000 t/year (Annex I E-PRTR activities only*).
• Treatment: Applies only to waste sorting, transit and consolidation facilities. |
For facilities subject to the emissions trading system, the online reporting service ICPE regulations also allow you to:
- report greenhouse gas emissions for the reference year;
- submit the verification report (or reasonable assurance opinion);
- file the activity level report required for the allocation of free quotas.
A guide is available to assist operators with their reporting.
How does the GEREP reporting process work?
The GEREP report for reference year N must be completed on the website no later than:
- February 28 of year N+1 for facilities covered by the greenhouse gas Emissions Trading System (ETS),
- March 31 of year N+1 for all other facilities.
Access codes can be obtained from your supervisory inspection department.
The waste management software from Tennaxia allows you to generate your GEREP reports in just a few clicks.
| Establishment profile | Data to be reported (where a threshold is exceeded) | Online filing deadline (Year N+1) |
| Establishments subject to the emissions trading scheme (ETS) | • Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the reference year.
• Mandatory submission of the verification report (reasonable assurance opinion).
• Reporting of activity levels for the allocation of free allowances.
• + All generic data (discharges, waste) listed below. | ⏱️ 28 February |
| Other regulated facilities (Authorised/Registered ICPE, quarries, wastewater treatment plants, etc.) | • Pollutant emissions and flows of target substances into air, water and soil.
• Quantities of waste generated (distinguishing hazardous from non-hazardous waste) and their treatment methods (recovery or disposal).
• Consumption data on the facility's energy efficiency. | ⏱️ 31 March |
Photo credit: Christian Harb
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