Following consultations in 2019 and 2021, the UK Government and Devolved Administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales confirmed in March 2022 the proposals to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. Since then, the government have been working to develop the draft Regulations, which will introduce the measures set out in their response of March 2022.
The government remain committed to introducing measures that work for business, local government, the environment, and the economy and which deliver sustained change. The policy is designed to improve efficiency by placing responsibility on businesses for the environmental impact of their packaging. This is to incentivise the appropriate use of packaging and the use of recyclable and reusable packaging and, in turn, encourage more domestic reprocessing and overall system improvements and savings.
This new consultation now shares the draft Regulations which will implement EPR for packaging, as set out in the March 2022 Government Response. This consultation is being undertaken jointly by the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. The Regulations will apply UK-wide.
The government would particularly appreciate views on the clarity with which these draft Regulations define the responsibilities of obligated producers, exporters, reprocessors, compliance schemes, local authorities and councils, the Scheme Administrator, and the regulators, identifying any ambiguities in the text that could be improved.
The questions are designed to be answered with reference to the consultation document.
Please note that this consultation will close at 23:59 on 9th October 2023.
The draft regulations document can be viewed here.
The consultation document can be viewed here.