Announcements on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging

On 27 June 2025, PackUK unveiled several key publications linked to the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme:

1. Confirmed 2025 Base Fees
   These fees – set for the first year of full implementation – are now final and will apply to invoices issued in October 2025. In nearly all categories, fees have been reduced compared to earlier estimates; notably, glass charges have dropped by around 20%. This adjustment reflects improved reporting by producers and enhanced data validation efforts.
2. Fee Modulation Policy Statement
   PackUK also introduced its first modulation policy, outlining plans to adjust fees between 2026 and 2029 based on recyclability. Packaging rated highly recyclable (RAM Green) will benefit from lower fees, while less recyclable materials (RAM Red) will incur higher charges. Medical packaging receives specific consideration due to regulatory constraints. The policy aims to maintain revenue neutrality while encouraging greener packaging.
3. Regulatory Position Statement
   UK environmental regulators issued guidance addressing industry concerns over the burden of recyclability assessments for the first half of 2025. Businesses must still report packaging used in this period, but may extrapolate certain data from later months as a transitional measure. The modulation framework will be based solely on recyclability for the next three years.
4. PackUK Interim Strategy
   As the official Scheme Administrator, PackUK published an interim strategy approved across all four nations. This outlines initial structural decisions – including upcoming hires such as a Chief Executive and Strategy Officer – steps toward establishing a Producer Responsibility Organisation by March 2026, and commitments to reuse and local government engagement. A full strategy will follow in late 2025.

Together, these steps form the backbone of the UK’s pEPR reforms, projected to support approximately 25,000 jobs and attract over £10 billion in recycling infrastructure investment across the next decade.

Join us at Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 to explore EPR changes in more detail and chat to the government leaders at the PackUK clinic to have you questions answered.