The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations, which are draft extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations, were laid in Parliament on 24 October 2024 and introduce the extended producer responsibility regime for packaging (packaging EPR) in the UK.
Significant changes have been made to the draft EPR Regulations 2024 following the government's July 2023 consultation. These include the definition of household packaging and of brand owner, for drinks containers reporting, a single date for introduction of recyclability labelling of 1 April 2027 and to disposal costs and fees.
The UK government is committed to exploring ways to ensure greater producer and industry leadership, integration and engagement within packaging EPR. In this article we highlight why packaging EPR regulations are being introduced, who will be responsible for the scheme and when these regulations will come into force.
Packaging EPR is being introduced under powers in the Environment Act 2021, to ensure producers pay the full net cost of managing their products at end of life to incentivise them to design their products with sustainability in mind.
These regulations impose obligations on producers for household packaging waste, to ensure that a proportion of the packaging they supply by material type (card, glass, plastic, metal) is recycled and that they provide information on its disposal. Both civil sanctions and criminal prosecution are available for non-compliance. Most producers are expected to join a compliance scheme to meet their obligations.
A producer responsible organisation (PRO) will run the packaging EPR scheme. The PRO will be made up of packaging producers who will manage the day-to-day running of the scheme. The PRO will say what materials are recyclable and how recyclable they are. It will work with the government and also see whether the collections that are being made at the household level by local authorities are efficient and effective.
Most of the draft EPR Regulations 2024 comes into force on the 21st day after the day on which they are made. Producers are required to register by 1 April 2025 and may have already been reporting data. The draft EPR Regulations 2024 will repeal and replace a set of interim packaging EPR data reporting regulations and will revoke and expand the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.
For further information, please contact the business risk and regulation team.
