EPR explained: what packaging producers actually have to do

Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, is the UK scheme that makes businesses pay the full cost of collecting and processing the packaging they put on the market. It replaced the old Packaging Waste Regulations, and the difference matters: under the old system producers covered a share of the cost, under EPR they cover all of it.

For most of our customers the practical impact is simple. The more packaging you place on the market, and the harder that packaging is to recycle, the more you pay. That makes packaging design a cost issue rather than just a compliance one.

Who is caught by EPR

You are likely to be an obligated producer if you are a UK business that supplies or imports packaging, your annual turnover is above £1 million, and you handle more than 25 tonnes of packaging in a year. Businesses over £2 million turnover and 50 tonnes carry the fuller set of obligations, including paying disposal fees.

Smaller businesses between the two thresholds still have to collect and report data even where fees do not yet apply. If you are close to a threshold it is worth measuring properly rather than assuming you are out of scope.

What you have to report

• The weight of packaging you supply, split by material: paper and board, plastic, glass, steel, aluminium, wood and other.
• Whether each item is household or non-household packaging.
• Whether packaging is primary, secondary, shipment or tertiary.
• Drinks containers in scope of the deposit return scheme.
• Nation-level data on where packaging is sold, hired or loaned.

Large producers report twice a year, smaller producers annually. The data feeds into your disposal fees, and it also feeds into recyclability assessments that modulate what you pay per tonne.

How packaging choices change the bill

Because fees are charged by weight and by material, the cheapest way to reduce an EPR bill is usually to use less packaging and to favour materials with well established recycling routes. Corrugated board scores well on both counts.

• Right-size the box. An exact-fit box removes board weight and removes the void fill that would otherwise be needed.
• Cut mixed materials. Single material packs are easier to recycle and simpler to report.
• Move plastic void fill to paper. Paper based protection sits in a stronger recycling stream.
• Rationalise your box range. Fewer sizes with better fit almost always beats more sizes chosen badly.
• Weigh what you actually use. Most reporting errors come from estimates rather than measurements.

Where we can help

We manufacture made to measure corrugated boxes on site in Letchworth, so we can take weight out of a pack rather than just quoting the nearest stock size. Our free packaging review includes measuring what you currently use, which is often the same information you need for your EPR return.

If you would like a hand working out what your packs weigh, or want to test a lighter specification before you commit, get in touch and we will arrange a visit.