UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) - what you need to know

What is the UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging?

The UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging is legislation that makes businesses legally and financially responsible for the collection, sorting, treatment, recycling, and disposal of the packaging they place on the UK market.

The EPR transfers the responsibility and the net cost of managing packaging waste from the taxpayer to brand owners and producers. The aim is that the direct cost of packaging recycling should be met by those placing the packaging onto the UK market.

Under the scheme, obligated businesses must meet packaging data reporting and registration requirements, while larger producers are also responsible for recycling obligations and applicable packaging waste disposal fees. 
From 2026, disposal fees are adjusted according to packaging recyclability, with higher charges for materials that are harder to recycle.

Large producers and importers must fund the recycling of their packaging waste through purchasing of Packaging Recycling Notes (PRNs). The EPR will fund the collection, treatment and sorting costs of packaging waste through direct payments from those producers.

Who must comply with UK EPR packaging regulations?

You need to take action if all of the following apply:

• your business, subsidiary or group corporate group is established in the UK. 
• you have an annual worldwide turnover of £1 million or more
• you supplied or imported over 25 tonnes of packaging in the UK during the previous calendar year
• you carry out any of these:
  • package own-brand products to sell to UK consumers
  • use a third party to package and sell own-brand goods to UK consumers
  • import packaged products into the UK
  • supply empty packaging
  • use 'transit packaging' to protect goods during transport so they can be sold to UK consumers
  • hire or loan reusable packaging to UK third parties
  • operate an online marketplace that enables overseas businesses to sell packaged goods into the UK

Businesses meeting these criteria are classified as either small or large producers, depending on their annual turnover and the amount of packaging they supply or import. Their reporting, registration and financial obligations vary accordingly.

Check official guidance as to whether your business must comply with UK EPR regulations.

How to comply with the UK EPR scheme: Compliance Rules

Small organisations

Definition: Your business is generally classified as a small producer if either of the following applies:

• Your annual turnover is between £1m and 2m and you supply more than 25m tonnes in the UK
• Your annual turnover is more than £1m and you supply between 25-50 tonnes of packaging in the UK

Compliance Requirements: 

• Register annually: Register your organisation through the EPR packaging online service and pay the applicable registration fee by 1st April
• Report packaging data: Collect, record and submit information about the packaging you are responsible for supplying or importing into the UK once a year.
• Meet reporting deadlines: The next deadline, for packaging supplied between January to December 2026, is 1 April 2027

Small producers are not generally required to purchase Packaging Recycling Notes (PRNs) or Packaging Export Recycling Notes (PERNs), or pay household packaging waste disposal fees.

Large organisations

Definition:  Your business is generally classified as a large producer if both of the following apply:

• Register annually: Register your organisation through the EPR packaging online service and pay the applicable registration fee
• Report packaging data every 6 months: Collect, record and submit detailed information about the packaging you supply or import, including relevant packaging materials, weights and recyclability assessments

Meet Reporting Deadlines

• 1 April 2027: Deadline for reporting packaging data from 1 July to 31 December 2026.
• Meet financial obligations: Large producers must meet applicable packaging recycling obligations through PRNs or PERNs and may also be required to pay household packaging waste disposal fees, depending on the packaging they supply

Important: If your organisation has missed a reporting or registration deadline, contact your relevant environmental regulator as soon as possible.

For the latest requirements and reporting dates, refer to the official UK Government EPR reporting guidance.

EPR Fees for UK Businesses 

Under EPR, businesses have to pay the following fees depending on their size, packaging activities and the amount and type of packaging they place on the UK market: 

• Registration fees: Obligated businesses must pay the applicable fee to the environmental regulator.
• Packaging Recycling Notes (PRNs) and Packaging Export Recycling Notes (PERNs): Large producers must purchase these certificates to demonstrate that they have met their packaging recycling obligations.
• Waste disposal fees: Large producers responsible for household packaging and certain other qualifying packaging must pay fees to cover the costs of managing packaging waste. These fees are administered by PackUK and from the 2026–27 assessment year, are adjusted according to packaging recyclability.
• Scheme administration costs: Large producers liable for waste disposal fees also contribute towards the costs of administering the EPR scheme. These costs are included in their charges from PackUK.

Not all businesses are required to pay every fee. Small producers generally have registration and reporting obligations, while large producers face additional recycling and applicable waste disposal costs.

How Much Are EPR Registration Fees? 

What you have to pay depends on the size of your organisation and whether it registers directly with its environmental regulator or through a compliance scheme. 

Note: You’ll also need to pay fees to the compliance scheme if you choose to use one. 

Read more about EPR registration fees from the gov.uk website. 

How Much Are Waste Management Fees?

Waste management fees are the charges large producers pay for the packaging they put on the market. They’re worked out using the information they report. The fees, administered by PackUK, help cover the costs of collecting, sorting, recycling and disposing of household packaging waste.

For the 2026–27 assessment year, the fees will be based on 2025 packaging data. The cost depends on the type of material the packaging is made from and how much it weighs. As an example, the following are illustrative amber-rated fees published by PackUK:

Packaging fees (£ per tonne):

• Paper/card (£210),
• Plastic (£455),
• Aluminium (£270), and
• Wood (£450)

Please note: the fees may change before before final charges are confirmed. Businesses should consult the latest PackUK waste disposal fee guidance for current rates.

Recyclability-based fees from 2026–27

From the 2026–27 assessment year, waste disposal fees are adjusted according to packaging recyclability using the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM). Packaging is assessed and assigned one of three ratings:

• Green: More recyclable packaging, benefiting from reduced fees.
• Amber: Packaging charged at the standard base rate.
• Red: Less recyclable packaging, attracting higher fees.

For 2026–27, red-rated packaging attracts a 20% increase compared with the amber base fee. This is scheduled to rise to 60% in 2027–28 and 100% in 2028–29. Discounts for green-rated packaging depend on the proportion of packaging in each recyclability category.

For more information, see PackUK's waste disposal fee modulation policy.

EPR Costs Shift: UK Businesses Face Up to 5x Higher Compliance Fees 

Under EPR legislation, responsibility now sits with one company. Producers will fund the net cost of the collection, sorting and treatment of packaging waste. 

Under the previous producer responsibility system, compliance and recycling costs were shared throughout the supply chain, with a percentage responsibility allocated at different points. The biggest change under the EPR framework is the percentage responsibility for PRNs are no longer spread throughout the supply chain. Therefore, some larger businesses are likely to see their compliance costs rise to more than five times their current obligations, if not more.

It is estimated that EPR could generate up to £1.55bn in revenue, £1.47bn of which will be passed to Local Authorities to fund the collecting, managing, recycling and disposing of household packaging waste.

How it Works in Practice: Extended Producer Responsibility Example

The example below shows how much EPR fees could increase for a large business: 

Imagine a company with a £5 million turnover that puts 100 tonnes of packaging on the market each year, 70 tonnes are classified as green (more recyclable) and 30 tonnes as red (less recyclable) under the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM).

In 2024, the company  would only need to buy recycling certificates (PRNs), costing around £10,000 in total. 

However for the 2026-27 assessment year,using PackUK's illustrative waste disposal fees, the company's estimated costs could look like this:

In this example, the fashion retailer could face approximately £30,600 in annual EPR waste disposal fees alone, before accounting for registration fees and its separate recycling obligations through Packaging Recycling Notes (PRNs) or Packaging Export Recycling Notes (PERNs).

How Could Better Packaging Choices Reduce EPR Costs?

In our example, the retailer uses 20 tonnes of red-rated plastic packaging, costing an estimated £10,900 annually
If the company could redesign this packaging or switch to a green-rated alternative, while maintaining the same packaging weight, the illustrative cost would fall to £8,300.

That's a potential saving of £2,600 per year, simply by improving the recyclability of one type of packaging.
For fashion brands managing thousands of products across multiple suppliers, these savings could become significant.

What About Smaller Fashion and Textile Businesses?

By contrast, a smaller business with a turnover between £1 million and £2 million that places 25–50 tonnes of packaging on the market only needs to report its packaging data under the current EPR rules. 

This means no PRN purchases and no waste management fees. For these businesses, compliance is more about paperwork than direct cost, making the financial impact of EPR far lighter compared to large producers.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the EU – What You Need to Know

The UK is not the only region implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations. The European Union mandates several  EPR schemes as part of its Circular Economy Action Plan, focusing on reducing waste and ensuring that producers take financial and operational responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products.

Key Areas of Regulation:

EU legislation mandates EPR schemes across several core product categories:

Packaging:

The EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) entered into force on 11 February 2025 and began applying on 12 August 2026, with further requirements being introduced in stages. The regulation replaces much of the previous Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and aims to harmonise packaging rules across the EU, increase recycling rates, and reduce packaging waste.   

It includes requirements for packaging recyclability, recycled content, and labeling.   

Although, the PPWR aims to harmonise packaging requirements across the EU, individual countries may have different regulations, reporting requirements, and fee structures. The key objectives of the EU PPWR framework include:

Packaging recyclability: All packaging placed on the EU market must meet recyclability requirements from 2030, with stricter requirements introduced over time.

Recycled content: Minimum recycled content requirements for certain plastic packaging will apply from 2030.

Packaging reduction and reuse: Businesses will face new requirements to minimise unnecessary packaging, reduce empty space and increase reuse in specified packaging categories.

Harmonised labelling: New EU-wide labelling requirements will be introduced to help consumers identify packaging materials and dispose of packaging correctly.

Extended Producer Responsibility: Ensuring producers cover the full costs of waste management - this includes collection, sorting, and recycling, with costs varying based on recyclability.

Boosting recycling targets: The EU has set ambitious recycling targets, including a 70% recycling rate for packaging waste by 2030.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE):

The EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is another key EPR regulation focused on the lifecycle management of electronic products. Producers of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) are required to finance the collection, recycling, and disposal of electronic waste (e-waste). Additionally, products must be designed for durability, repairability, and recyclability to minimize waste generation. 

Batteries:

Batteries Regulation (which entered into force 17 August 2023) imposes EPR obligations on manufacturers and importers of batteries, ensuring they take responsibility for end-of-life battery collection and recycling.

Textiles

The European Union is leading the way in implementing EPR for textiles as part of its EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. The revised EU Waste Framework Directive entered into force on 16 October 2025 and establishes a common framework for mandatory EPR schemes covering textiles, textile-related products and footwear.

EU Member States are required to establish these schemes by 17 April 2028, although some countries already operate textile EPR systems.

The framework makes producers placing qualifying textile and footwear products on EU markets contribute towards the costs of managing those products when they become waste. The aim is to reduce textile waste, promote circularity, and encourage sustainable practices within the fashion and textile industries.

Key Differences Between UK and EU EPR

While both the UK and EU EPR regulations aim to shift financial responsibility onto producers, there are key differences:

Scope and Fees: The UK's packaging EPR scheme operates across the four UK nations, with waste disposal fees adjusted according to packaging recyclability from 2026–27. In the EU, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) applies across all Member States, but national EPR schemes continue to have different fee structures and compliance arrangements.

Reporting Obligations: EPR schemes continue to have different fee structures and compliance arrangements. Businesses selling products across multiple EU markets must comply with each country’s specific reporting and registration requirements, which can vary significantly. Although the PPWR introduces greater harmonisation, national requirements remain important.

Obligations for Online Retailers: Both the UK and EU have EPR requirements affecting online retailers and marketplaces. In the UK, responsibility can fall on brand owners, importers, online marketplace operators and other qualifying businesses. Under the EU's PPWR, online platforms also have responsibilities relating to checking producers' EPR registration and compliance, with relevant requirements being introduced in stages.

Textile EPR: The EU has also adopted legislation requiring Member States to establish EPR schemes for textiles and footwear by April 2028. These will introduce additional obligations for fashion and textile businesses selling into EU markets, separate from packaging EPR.

What UK Businesses Selling in the EU Need to Do?

If your business sells packaged goods in the EU, you must ensure compliance with EPR requirements in each country where your products are placed on the market. This may include:

1. Registering with national EPR schemes in the relevant EU countries.
2. Paying producer responsibility fees based on the type and quantity of packaging used.
3. Providing clear labelling and consumer disposal information to meet local regulations.
4. Tracking and reporting packaging waste data according to each country’s deadlines.
5. Checking additional product-specific obligations, particularly for textiles, footwear, batteries and electrical equipment.

For UK fashion and textile businesses, it's important to remember that packaging EPR and textile EPR are separate obligations. 

Under the EU's revised Waste Framework Directive, Member States must establish textile EPR schemes by April 2028, although some countries already have schemes in place.

Failure to comply with EU EPR regulations can lead to penalties, sales restrictions, and reputational risks. Therefore, UK businesses operating in the EU should take proactive steps to understand their obligations and implement compliance strategies.

Simplify EPR compliance through smarter packaging data management

EPR means businesses have to collect more complex packaging data and adhere to more complex reporting requirements.

Having the right data management systems in place can make a significant difference. By centralising packaging information, automating data collection where possible and improving data accuracy, businesses can simplify EPR reporting, reduce administrative work and identify opportunities to manage compliance costs.

How Segura can help

Segura can help businesses streamline packaging data management, giving them greater visibility across their supply chains and supporting more efficient EPR compliance processes.

With reliable data and the right systems in place, ongoing EPR reporting can become a more manageable part of everyday business operations.

Data Collection

Through Segura’s order management module retailers can identify and track packaging orders, facilitate real-time orders through nominated suppliers and capture the necessary data such as packaging weight, material, type and class. 

Reporting

Segura’s business intelligence tool helps businesses organise, manage and export packaging data, making it easier to prepare the information needed for EPR reporting.

Download our UK EPR Factsheet. 

We have outlined the key elements of the regulation with a recommended  roadmap to compliance in one handy document. 

Download our free UK EPR Factsheet for an overview of the key requirements and a practical roadmap to help your business manage EPR compliance.

About Segura

Segura Systems is a UK-based SaaS company enabling ethical, sustainable and efficient multi-tier supply chains.

Segura provides n-tier mapping, transparency, traceability, visualisation, compliance and reporting. Segura sits in the centre of your supply chain management structure creating a central repository for all your supply chain, ESG-related data and evidence, including from third-party data sources.

To learn more, why not contact us today.