United Kingdom - New Reporting Requirements for Packaging

A new packaging waste reporting law will come into force in the United Kingdom on February 28 2023. This marks the first step in the UK’s introduction of a new Extended Producer Responsibility system for packaging, which will be implemented progressively until 2027.

The key aspects of the new packaging law include new reporting requirements and new thresholds for 2023 as follows:

• 2 million pounds of a company's annual sales worldwide
• 25 tons of packaging "handled" in the previous year.

"Handling" refers to the production of raw materials, conversion of packaging, packaging or filling, sale, importation and provision of packaging through rental or hire.

The scope of the new legislation includes primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.

The following table provides guidance for assessing whether a company is affected by the new regulations:

*Packaging tonnages for which companies are responsible include the following activities:

• supplying packaged goods to the UK market under own brand
• importing products in packaging, operating an online marketplace, packaging goods for another UK organisation,
• hiring or lending reusable packaging,
• selling empty packaging, and
• using ‘transit packaging’ to protect goods during transport for sale to UK consumers.

For further information: contact@1cc-consulting.com.