Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging launched in 2025, marking the biggest change to UK packaging regulation in decades. Producers now cover nearly 100% of packaging waste costs through fees based on the volume and type of packaging placed on the market. Businesses with £1m+ turnover handling over 25 tonnes of packaging annually must comply, with reporting obligations and costs directly linked to packaging choices.
Fees are modulated by recyclability under the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM), with poorly recyclable packaging facing rising uplifts through 2028. While multi-material packaging increases financial exposure, switching to recyclable mono-material alternatives can reduce costs and create a commercial advantage. Talk to the team at Eco Flexibles to understand your current EPR exposure and how switching to recyclable flexible packaging can reduce your liability.
The UK Plastic Packaging Tax was introduced in 2022. The UK Plastic Packaging Tax is charged at a rate of £200 per tonne on the production and import of plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content, subject to consultation.
Plastic packaging accounts for 44% of plastic used in the UK, but 67% of plastic waste, and over 2 million tonnes of plastic packaging is used each year’. Source: Gov.uk. The rationale of this tax aims to increase the use of recycled content in plastic packaging, and it is anticipated, as a result of the tax, that there will be a significant increase in the amount of partially recycled plastic packaging used.
Importers, manufacturers and converters are all subject to the tax, and will need to prove packaging contains the necessary recycled content in order to be exempt. 20,000 producers and importers are expected to be liable and there will be civil and criminal penalties for those failing to comply!
