What are the packaging EPR consultations?

Before any significant regulatory change government release public consultations to gain stakeholder and public opinion. The responses are then considered and used to shape the regulatory outcome. Consultations for packaging EPR, a future DRS and consistency of collections released by UK Governments closed in 2021. A new consultation on reforms to the PRN system is currently live and will close on 21 May 2022. Find out more below, including links to request our guides to the consultations and the official Ecosurety responses.

PRN and PERN reform consultation

On 26 March 2022 Defra published a consultation giving stakeholders a crucial opportunity to shape reform of the PRN and PERN system, including operator approval. This came at the same time that government confirmed that a version of the PRN system will remain as part of packaging EPR reforms. Proposals in the consultation include data and revenue reporting, trading timeframes, interface with a future DRS, new operator competence tests and a call for evidence on a potential compliance fee for packaging. The closing date to submit feedback is 21 May 2022.

View the PRN & PERN consultation

Request our PRN consultation response

On 11 May 2022 we released our PRN consultation response to encourage as many stakeholders as possible to respond to government.

We hope this encourages wider participation to the consultation to maximise representativity of each stakeholder group.

Click here to request your copy now

Request our PRN consultation highlight summary guide

We released a PRN consultation highlight summary guide for all packaging producers, to encourage as many as possible to respond to government. This highlight summary is intended to cover the pertinent points that all packaging producers should consider feeding back on and it includes reference links to the original government consultation documents.

Click here to request your copy now

EPR for packaging consultation

On 24 March 2021 Defra published a consultation on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, giving stakeholders a crucial opportunity to shape what constitutes a major overhaul in legislation. Topics covered include a proposed single point of compliance and producers being financially responsible for the entirety of their packaging waste. The closing date to submit feedback was 4 June 2021. The government response and key decisions for the future were published in March 2022.

Read the government response

Request our full EPR for packaging consultation response

We released our full EPR for packaging consultation response to encourage as many stakeholders as possible to respond to government.

We openly shared this to encourage other people to use it for their own response, if they were aligned with our views. We hope this encouraged wider participation to the consultation to maximise representativity of each stakeholder group.

Click here to request your copy now

Request our EPR consultation highlight summary guide

We released an EPR consultation highlight summary guide for all packaging producers, to encourage as many as possible to respond to government. This highlight summary is intended to cover the pertinent points that all packaging producers should have considered feeding back on and it includes reference links to the original government consultation documents.

Click here to request your copy now

A DRS for England, Wales and NI consultation

On 24 March 2021 a consultation was launched giving stakeholders a crucial opportunity to shape a future Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The closing date to submit feedback was 4 June 2021. Although government announced in March 2022 that an ‘all-in’ model will go ahead, we still await answers to questions such as how the scheme should be managed and what obligations might be put on retailers to host return points.

Request our full DRS consultation response

We released our full DRS consultation response to encourage as many stakeholders as possible to respond to government.

We openly shared this to encourage other people to use it for their own response, if they were aligned with our views. We hope this encouraged wider participation to the consultation to maximise representativity of each stakeholder group.

Click here to request your copy now

Request our DRS consultation highlight summary guide

We released a DRS consultation highlight summary guide for all packaging producers, to encourage as many as possible to respond to government. This highlight summary is intended to cover the pertinent points that all packaging producers should have considered feeding back on and includes reference links to the original government consultation documents.

Click here to request your copy now

Consistency in household and business recycling in England consultation

On 7 May 2021 a consultation was launched giving stakeholders a crucial opportunity to shape the consistency of recycling in England. Topics covered include proposals for improving the consistency of household, business and food waste recycling. The closing date to submit feedback was 4 July 2021.

Request our consistent collections consultation highlight summary guide

We have released a consistent collections consultation highlight summary guide for all packaging producers, to encourage as many as possible to respond to government. This highlight summary is intended to cover the pertinent points that all packaging producers should consider feeding back on and includes reference links to the original government consultation documents.

Click here to request your copy now

Waste Prevention Programme for England consultation

On 18 March 2021 Defra published a consultation asking respondents what they think regulatory and industrial priorities should be for managing resources and waste for textiles, construction, furniture, e-goods, road vehicles, packaging, single-use items and plastics, and food. The closing date to submit feedback was 10 June 2021.

Why should I respond to the consultations?

Government consultations are open to responses from anyone, not just technical experts. It is crucial there is a wide range of respondents with an equal representation of views to achieve the best regulatory outcome.

We can support your response

With such fundamental reform to the packaging producer responsibility system taking place, it is important that all those affected are fairly represented during decision-making. As such, we recommend all stakeholders, including all packaging producers, submit their own individual response to government consultations.

We can provide you with guidance and assistance throughout the whole process if you plan to directly feedback. Please contact us to find out more.

How do I stay informed?

We will continue to inform our members on the latest regulatory developments and open consultations. To stay up to date, you can also regularly check the news section on this website as we frequently publish news stories on legislative developments. We also encourage you to take a look at the webinar recordings available on our members' area website using the button below.

View webinar recordings in our members' area

EPR support for you

We can provide support to you for the ongoing EPR reform. Please get in touch as a discussion with our policy team can go a long way to ensure you have the full picture and are fully informed.

Request EPR support now

Find out more about current packaging legislation

Find out if existing packaging producer responsibility legislation applies to you, what you need to do and how we can help.

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Packaging EPR consultations