UK introduces new packaging rules

January 10, 2023

You might have missed the January 1 introduction of new extended producer responsibility for packaging waste.

The new rules came into force on the 1^st January this year and UK organisations who are responsible for packaging may be impacted by the new extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging and may need start collecting and reporting their packaging data.

The EPR regulations apply to all UK organisations that handle and supply packaging to consumers and businesses. These organisations will need to report packaging data if they have an annual turnover of £1 million or more and are responsible for over 25 tonnes of packaging in a calendar year (January to December).

For the office printer consumables market supplying goods to the UK market under your own brand you may need to take action if you sell your own brand packaged goods. A brand includes a logo or trademark or any distinctive mark.

For example, a remanufacturer produces packaged remanufactured cartridges under their own brand and sells them to a reseller who goes on to sell the cartridges to UK consumers. In this instance, the remanufacturer may need to act.

But, if the remanufacturer sold the cartridges to the reseller and the reseller then sold the cartridges under their own brand, they may need to take action.

The new EPR scheme applies to many activities from supplying branded and unbranded packaged goods to the UK. Use ‘transit packaging’ to protect goods during transport, or import products in packaging, hire or loan out reusable packaging or supply empty packaging.

If you fall under the EPR scheme you will need to collect and report data on the packaging you handle and supply as well as pay a waste management fee and buy packaging waste recycling notes (PRNs) or packaging waste export recycling notes (PERNs) to meet your recycling obligations.

No information has been published yet regarding the EPR fees, but you can find out more from the .Gov website here.

The letsrecycle website has a good write up here.