Business should be collecting detailed packaging data from January 1st 2023 in preparation for the first Extended Producer Responsibility data submission in October of this year.
The new policy tool aims to transfer the full net cost of the collection, sorting and treatment costs of packaging waste from from the taxpayer to certain members of the supply chain. EPR is set to mitigate the environmental impacts of packaging put onto the UK market and encourage a circular economy model; local authorities are set to receive EPR payments to better manage waste and encourage higher rates of recycling.
Extended Producer Responsibility will tackle waste prevention as well as waste management. It will incentivise obligated producers to use more easily recyclable materials in their packaging by introducing a modulated fee system where fees will be based on the recyclability of packaging materials used.
Experts in the waste and sustainability industry agree that an EPR system will have an overall positive effect on sustainability and in creating a greener world, however his comes at the cost of certain members of the supply chain, namely brand owners and importers.
In November of 2022, Defra released guidance on the incoming EPR regulations which confirmed that businesses must start collating and recording EPR ready packaging data from January 2023, if they have the systems in place. Mandatory EPR reporting will be enforceable from March 2023.
Although your business may already be collecting packaging data under existing regulations, accuracy and granularity will become much more important under EPR. Businesses will be required to include far more information in their submission, breaking down base materials to polymers and components in their submission.
To date, the packaging regulations have only applied to businesses with a minimum turnover of £2 million and are responsible for placing 50T and over of packaging onto the UK market. Under EPR, companies that put just 25T of packaging onto the UK market will now be in scope for a data reporting only obligation.
As well as EPR, we can also assist with data compliance for Plastic Packaging Tax and can also support customer requests, sustainability reporting and cost forecasting.
Here at Clarity, we have been preparing for EPR for several years. Our Complete Data Solutions team is aimed at ensuring businesses can effectively comply with the new regulations and are committed to creating an opportunity out of EPR for your business. Our approach is to make data sourcing, collating, analysing, and submitting as simple as possible. Our packaging data team has been specifically set up to ease the strain on businesses.
To avoid unnecessary costs, businesses are urged to begin sourcing and collating their data now.
