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Everything You Need to Know About Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (EPR)

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Doing our part for the environment is an important part of modern business practices.

Recently, with the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (EPR), the obligations facing businesses have changed, giving businesses a greater degree of responsibility for the packaging material that they produce.

Over the course of this article, we will be exploring the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, including who these responsibilities apply to, how to register, and what the consequences may be for failing to register or report packaging information.

A Quick Guide to Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging

What is Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging?

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (EPR) is a piece of legislation that has been introduced to manage how packaging materials, like bubble wrap and cardboard boxes, are handled and recycled in the UK.

The aim of the legislation is to make companies that handle packaging material responsible for how it is recycled, rather than putting the obligation on individual customers or local councils.

In this way, the government is hoping to encourage innovation in our approach to packaging materials through methods like reducing packaging waste, creating packaging that is easier to recycle, or developing new types of packaging that are suitable for reuse.

Who is affected by Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging?

The EPR legislation affects businesses with an annual turnover of over £1 million per year and that produce over 25 tonnes of packaging material.

However, the legislation recognises two tiers of businesses when it comes to their packaging obligations:

Small Producers

Under the EPR, a small producer is any business that generates between £1 and £2 million in turnover annually, as well as generating between 25 and 50 tonnes of packaging material.

These businesses are responsible for recording and reporting information about their packaging, such as the type of material and weight, but generally will not be expected to contribute to the cost of recycling.

Large Producer

Large producers under the EPR are those businesses that generate over £2 million in turnover each year and create packaging material in excess of 50 tonnes.

Not only are these businesses responsible for recording and reporting data on their use of packaging materials, but they will also be expected to pay fees to help contribute to the cost of waste management and recycling.

The exact amount that will be expected varies depending on the data reported, including how easy the material used is to recycle and how much packaging material has been used.

When does Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging come into effect?

The EPR has already come into effect as of January 2025.

Small producers have a responsibility to submit data once a year, and the first submission deadline for data collected in 2024 was the 1st of April, 2025.

Large producers are expected to submit data every 6 months. Like small producers, the first deadline was April 2025. However, unlike small producers, the next submission date for large producers is October 1st, 2025, and should include data collected during the first half of 2025.

How do I register?

There are two ways to register for the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging.

Businesses are able to register directly with the environmental regulator, or they can register through an appropriate compliance scheme.

If your business registers itself, you take on the responsibility for ensuring you have registered with the environmental regulator, your packaging data has been reported accurately,  you have gathered evidence to meet your recycling obligation, and you have submitted your certificate of compliance each year.

If you register through a compliance scheme, the scheme will take on these obligations on your behalf.

What registration fees will I have to pay?

Registration fees for the extended producer responsibility obligations vary depending on the size of your business and how you register.

If you choose to self-register, the fees are:

  • Small producer: £1,216 
  • Large producer: £2,620

This sum does not include the £332 late fee that will be applied if your business is not registered on time.

If you choose to register through a compliance scheme, the fees for registration are:

  • Small producer: £631 
  • Large producer: £1,685

This is the registration fee for your business and does not include any fees charged by the compliance scheme. Contact your chosen compliance scheme to learn how much they charge to gather and submit data. 

What information do I have to submit?

In order to comply with the EPR, businesses must collect information about the amount and type of packaging material that they produce.

Small Producers

The information that small producers are required to gather for submission includes:

Packaging activities: This means whether your business imports packaging material, sells packaging material to businesses or uses packaging material to ship stock to customers.

Packaging class: This means whether you are using a single piece of packaging for a product or a larger piece of packaging to transport multiple individual products.

Packaging material: This details what materials have been used to create your packaging.

Packaging weight: This records how much overall packaging material your business has used by weight.

However, small businesses only use two codes to submit packaging information under: SP (small organisation packaging – all) and HDC (household drinks containers), making the process slightly easier.

The government has provided a complete guide for small businesses on how to create, format, and submit their packaging data in order to make this process more straightforward.

Large Producers

In addition to packaging class, packaging material, and packaging weight, large producers are required to record additional information, including:

  • Whether this packaging is household or non-household 
  • If this packaging commonly ends up in public bins 
  • If this packaging contains household or non-household drink containers 
  • If this packaging is reusable 
  • Whether this packaging becomes self-managed waste

To help businesses understand how to classify their packaging information accurately, the UK Government has provided information regarding how these types of packaging are defined, as well as explaining how to gather data for your business.

If your business is considered a large producer of packaging material, 

What are the consequences of failing to register?

If your business is liable to register for EPR in the UK but fails to register or collect information, you could face fines and legal action.

Browse Schott Packaging’s Range of Professional Quality Packaging Material

If you have a business or organisation that uses packaging materials or machinery to pick, pack, and dispatch products to customers, consider browsing Schott Packaging’s range of high-quality packaging materials.

From our customisable cardboard boxes to our automatic pallet wrapping machines, we provide everything that your business needs to build a comprehensive, efficient system for dispatching products to customers, whether you are a small e-commerce seller or an established business.If you have any questions about our products or are interested in placing a bulk order, feel free to contact us, and a member of our team will be happy to help.