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Federal Plastics Registry: Phase 1 continues as expanded reporting postponed

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has formally postponed Phase 2 and Phase 3 reporting under the Federal Plastics Registry (FPR), confirming that only Phase 1 reporting will apply for the 2025 and 2026 calendar years. At the same time, the ECCC also issued a notice of intent for a new reporting framework covering 2027-2029.

On 14 March 2026, ECCC published an Amendment to the 2024 Federal Notice on Reporting of Certain Plastic Products, formally postponing Phase 2 and 3 reporting under the FPR.

Under the Amendment, producers must continue reporting for the 2025 and 2026 calendar years as per the Phase 1 reporting requirements (Schedule 4 of the 2024 Notice).

Phase 1 reporting:

• applies to producers of household plastic packaging, single-use or disposable plastic products, and EEE, as well as marketplace facilitators supplying these products from non-resident sellers
• exempts entities placing less than 1 tonne of plastic on the market annually
• requires reporting of basic data on plastics POM, including: total weight (kg) by product category, breakdown by resin type and resin source (i.e. virgin, recycled, bio-based), and the methodology used to calculate these figures

The expanded reporting obligations – originally planned under Phase 2 (2025 data, due September 2026) and Phase 3, which include more detailed data and additional obligated entities – no longer apply at this stage.

The amendment implements the postponement previously reported by the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) in December 2025, reflecting concerns that producers need more time and clearer reporting requirements.

On the same date, ECCC issued a notice of intent to introduce a new reporting notice covering 2027-2029, with stakeholder consultations to follow. This aligns with earlier expectations that a revised notice could be issued in Q3 2026 and confirms that more detailed reporting requirements (as planned under Phases 2 and 3) will be revised and reintroduced later.