UK Packaging EPR

Businesses with turnover above 1 million pounds that handle more than 25 tonnes of packaging a year must register and report packaging data, starting with 2023 data. Large producers, with turnover of 2 million pounds or more and over 50 tonnes, also pay waste disposal fees to PackUK, the scheme administrator. First invoices for 2025 to 2026 went out in October 2025. From the second year, fees are modulated red, amber or green by recyclability, with red packaging charged more.

UK packaging EPR makes packaging choice a direct line item in a brand's UK cost of doing business. Fees per tonne vary by material and, from year two, by recyclability, so a switch from mixed plastic mailers to recyclable paper can cut fees. For example, a brand that imports goods and ships them to UK consumers from a 3PL warehouse is usually the obligated producer for both the product packaging and the shipping packaging, so it needs packaging weights by material from its 3PL to report accurately.

• Custom PackagingBranded boxes, mailers, and inserts
• Void FillMaterial that fills empty space in a box

• UK Plastic Packaging Tax2022 · UK tax on plastic packaging under 30% recycled content
• EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)2025, applies from August 2026 · EU-wide rules on packaging design, waste and EPR
• German Packaging Act (VerpackG)2019, replaced by VerpackDG 2026 · German packaging registration and recycling law

1. GOV.UK: Extended producer responsibility for packaging, who is affected gov.uk
2. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 legislation.gov.uk