The UK implements a new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach for packaging starting in 2024. However, due to a phased approach, business have to be aware of some obligations that are already applied in the course of 2023. Some businesses that have been previously unaffected by the current UK Packaging Waste Regulations, (due to being below the current threshold of £2 million annual turnover and placing less than 50 tonnes of packaging onto the UK market) will now be affected for the first time. The new threshold for “small producer” is (£1 million+ annual turnover and placing more than 25 tonnes of packaging onto the UK market.

In the future there will be only a “single point of compliance” for packaging. The principle of “Shared Producer Responsibility” and the use of the “packaging chain” will vanish.

The reporting of sales volume data will be generally semi-annually with the first submission required by the 1st October 2023 and producers will need to report UK-wide data (UK Nation approach).

Producers will be required to label their packaging using the “Recycle Now” trademarks.

Household packaging waste will be exclusively managed by the “Scheme Administrator” which is a new authority. Non-household packaging waste will be captured by the Packaging Compliance Schemes.