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What is the Extended Producer’s Responsibility?
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a new UK legislation that will replace the current Packaging Waste Regulations through a phased implementation this year. The policy is an environmental one that requires producers to pay the full costs that come with dealing with the waste that they produce from when it is placed onto the market through to the end of its life.
The aim of this new policy is to achieve a reduction in the impact on the environment of products throughout their life cycle. So, for example, if you produce pollution then you should be paying for the damage to the environment, including the health of the population.
This means that packaging producers will be responsible for the entire cost of recycling any packaging they place on the market (including the cost of collection and treatment).
Research has already been conducted into the impact of the EPR on 7 paper and packaging recycling programs around the world and the results have been extremely positive and impactful.
The results of the research show that the EPR policy has accelerated the collection and recycling of target materials to over 75% of British Columbia, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands and South Korea. In places such as Portugal and Quebec, there has been a 60% acceleration.
If you are looking for a company that deals with sustainable packaging and that takes part in the Government’s Net Zero initiative then get in touch with Tyler Packaging today or follow us on Linkedin!
How will the EPR affect businesses?
Any business that handles packaging will be affected by the EPR. The size of your business will also influence the type of actions that need to be taken by you to ensure that you are following regulations.
A small business is considered to have an annual turnover between £1 million and £2 million and is responsible for handling 25 tonnes or more of empty packaging or packaged goods throughout the UK in one calendar year.
A large business is considered to have an annual turnover of £2 million or more and is responsible for handling and supplying more than 50 tonnes of empty packaging or packaged goods within one calendar year.
What actions need to be taken under Extended Producer Responsibility?
In order to comply with the EPR, you may need to
- collect and report data on the packaging you supply or import
- pay a waste management fee
- pay scheme administrator costs
- pay a charge to the environmental regulator
- get packaging waste recycling notes (PRNs) or packaging waste export recycling notes (PERNs) to meet your recycling obligations
- report information about which nation in the UK packaging is supplied in and which nation in the UK packaging is discarded in – this is called ‘nation data’
If your are looking for a reliable company to supply you with sustainable packaging, contact us today for more information.
EPR FAQs
- What packaging activities come under the Extended Producer Responsibility regulation?
If your business handles any of the following packaging activities, you will need to follow EPR regulations:
- Supply packaged goods to the UK market under your own brand
- Place goods into packaging that’s unbranded when it’s supplied
- Import products in packaging
- Own an online marketplace
- Hire or loan out reusable packaging
- Supply empty packaging
- What should the data submission include?
According to Gov.UK, your business should start preparing as soon as possible to capture your packaging data. The data submission should include your packaging activity, packaging type, and packaging class.
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