The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is urging packaging manufacturers, packers and companies placing packaging on the market to get ready for new rules governing extended producer responsibility (EPR). The authority published guidance on these rules, which will take effect in 2023, early in June.
The guidance sets out which organisations are affected by the new rules: all British companies that generate sales of more than £1m and are responsible for handling and/or supplying more than 25 tonnes of packaging placed on the UK market each year. The guidance also defines packaging activities as importing goods or packaging, online marketplaces and providing reusable packaging services. The document also distinguishes between “small” and “large” organisations.
The organisations subject to the regulations must prepare to comply with several obligations, Defra writes. A number of these can be completed by fee-based compliance programmes on the behalf of their members.
All businesses subject ot the obligations will have to register with the “EPR for packaging” online service and pay an annual fee. Additionally, large organisations must buy packaging recovery notes (PRNs) or packaging export recovery notes (PERNs) to meet their recycling obligations....
