Packaging Producers

Cardboard packaging with RFID tag
PackUK eases 'red' and 'amber' ratings for Recyclability Assessment Methodology

PackUK has released an updated version of the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM), introducing simplifications to the framework that determines how packaging producers will be charged under the UK's

Holiferm's biosurfactant plant in Wallasey, which uses a patented fermentation technology to produce 1650 tonnes per year
UK at risk of losing bio-based innovation as scale-ups move abroad

New research reveals £500 million potential economic gain from better supporting domestic bio-based manufacturing

Scene at a Household Waste Recycling Centre where three people look at the camera next to a newly unveiled compartment for recycling used coffee pods
Coffee pod recycling service reaches 200 local authority sites

Three in ten UK households now have access to pod recycling points at waste and recycling centres

Woman placing a glass bottle in a deposit return scheme reverse vending machine
Defra Minister confirms glass will be excluded from DRS despite concerns
By
Charles Newman
| 11 October 2024 |
Mary Creagh's decision maintains previous Conservative Government policy, which campaigners argue ignores environmental and recycling quality issues
Woman holding up a reusable and disposable cup
Denmark's reusable packaging scheme achieves 85 per cent return rate
By
Beth Jones
| 8 October 2024 |
Aarhus project sees 500K cup returns in 8 months, showcasing potential for EU-wide waste reduction
Sian Sutherland, A Plastic Planet
Face the truth, plastic recycling is a chimera
By
Sian Sutherland
| 4 October 2024 |
Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet and Plastic Health Council, calls for corporate accountability in plastic use
Laptop screen with words Open 3P Standard
Webinar: Unlocking the power of Open 3P for packaging data
By Resource |
17 September 2024 |
Online event on how open standard can improve efficiency and transparency of packaging data
Three people meeting in packaging warehouse
Defra sets indicative fees for packaging EPR
By Resource |
15 August 2024 |
Guidance on extended producer responsibility costs for different materials ‘provides much-needed clarity to obligated packaging producers’
European Union flags outside European Commission building
EC study calls for harmonised waste data reporting
By
Charles Newman
| 13 August 2024 |
National electronic registries and standardised waste composition analyses proposed by JRC
Person reviewing packaging samples
DS Smith offers Recyclability Evaluation Service (RES) for packaging businesses
By
Beth Jones
| 7 August 2024 |
New consultancy service aims to assess the suitability of packaging for recycling
Environment Agency officers watching as bales of packaging waste are unloaded by a forklift truck at a port
Environment Agency intensifies crackdown on waste export fraud
By
Charles Newman
| 1 August 2024 |
Regulator warns of dramatic rise in illegal claims for Packaging Export Recovery Notes
Owen Derbyshire
Labour has an opportunity with the DRS; it’s time to take it
By
Owen Derbyshire
| 31 July 2024 |
Owen Derbyshire, CEO of Keep Wales Tidy, makes the case for glass to be included in proposed deposit return schemes throughout the UK
Interior of the TriCast lightweight packaging sorting facility, showing conveyor belts and sorting equipment
Europe's largest lightweight packaging sorting plant opens in Austria following €65M investment
By Resource |
3 July 2024 |
New €65 million facility aims to process 50 per cent of Austria's plastic and metal packaging waste
Worker pushing Royal Mail warehouse trolley incorporating new reusable sleeves
Royal Mail reduces waste by 2,000 tonnes a year with reusable trolley sleeves
By Resource |
20 June 2024 |
The company exceeded its waste reduction target by replacing single-use cardboard trolley sleeves with durable, recyclable versions designed and manufactured in-house.
Cardboard takeaway box which has been made with biodegradable coating
Huhtamaki to introduce plastic-free coating for takeaway boxes
By Resource |
19 June 2024 |
Packaging producer signs agreement with 2M Group to incorporate biodegradable coating into corrugated board foodservice containers
Plastic tray on some weighing scales
Harnessing the power of standardised packaging data
By Resource |
3 June 2024 |
Open 3P is a free, industry-developed packaging data standard, enabling companies to achieve consistent reporting.
Cathy Cook, Chair of LARAC
LARAC raises concern about EPR funding gap for drinks containers
By Resource |
3 May 2024 |
Government decision to not include DRS materials in producer costs of packaging extended producer responsibility scheme from 2025 means ‘practical application of the Polluter Pays Principle appears increasingly elusive’. 
Packaging
Defra publishes draft of packaging EPR regulations
By
Charles Newman
| 1 May 2024 |
Revision of statutory instrument has been sent to EU and WTO, paving the way for legislation to go before UK Parliament later this year
Someone scanning a QR code on side of a can in the Brecon digital deposit return scheme trial
Brecon trial demonstrates feasibility of digital DRS
By
Charles Newman
| 18 April 2024 |
The Scan|Recycle|Reward pilot captured 97.6 per cent of containers that were refunded to residents
Labelling on packaging that highlights recyclability
Defra confirms progress of labelling rules for EPR
By Resource |
12 April 2024 |
Business Readiness Forum confirms OPRL labelling fulfils requirements due to come into force from 2027
Environment Secretary, Steve Barclay, discusses implementation of a UK deposit return scheme with the EFRA Committee
UK DRS likely to be delayed until 2027 and not include glass
By Resource |
27 March 2024 |
Environment Secretary tells MPs that introduction of deposit return scheme by 2025 is ‘not realistic’
EU legislators strike deal to tackle packaging waste
By
Charles Newman
| 5 March 2024 |
The European Council and Parliament provisionally have agreed to update rules for recycling and reuse of packaging.
DS Smith's cardboard reprocessing mill at Kemsley in Kent
DS Smith to modify Kemsley Paper Mill with £48 Million investment
By Resource |
28 February 2024 |
Upgrade to pulping and screening equipment will improve separation of plastic contamination