Packaging sector ready and willing to embrace EPR 

Leading environmental compliance data specialists Ecoveritas hailed 2023’s Packaging Innovations event in Birmingham a significant demonstration of the sector’s willingness to embrace upcoming Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation.  

The policy – designed to transfer the annual £1.7bn financial burden of household packaging waste collection from taxpayers to producers – aims to generate accountability across waste streams while encouraging and empowering brands to think more sustainably about their packaging life-cycle post-purchase. 

“There is no doubting the potential of EPR to help an increased number of businesses better engage with a circular economy,” said Andrew McCaffery, Ecoveritas’ Chief Strategy Officer, reflecting on the two-day packaging sector showpiece. “Walking the exhibition a decade ago would have been a completely different experience. Today, pretty much every single stand talks about sustainable packaging or sustainability. I think that gives us communal grounds for optimism. Only actions reflecting a conscious shared responsibility between all actors can transform business practices and lead to lasting changes in consumer behaviours. At Ecoveritas, our refillable bottle is half full.” 

The collection of EPR data must begin from January 2023 to create a full calendar year of data, with the first six months due for submission between July and October 2023 for large organisations or between January and April 2024 for small organisations. Due to the lower threshold introduced by EPR, many newly affected businesses in the UK will need to review their reporting processes and make changes to start capturing data. 

“There’s no doubt we’re in a perfect storm to get this done,” added McCaffery. “Yes, the timescales are shorter and less well-known than we’d like. And, yes, the crucial body that will make all of this happen doesn’t exist yet. But EPR will be a powerful incentive to encourage more eco-design into packaging and kickstart recycling rates.” 

Ecoveritas has launched its Packaging Roadmap Service – Packaging Compass to help support businesses wishing to move towards more sustainable packaging portfolios. With packaging continuing to feature in new legislation, the news, NGO campaigns and public opinion, companies are increasingly under pressure to ensure they understand and can minimise the environmental impact of their packaging.