Final EPR base fees and fee modulation to 2029 announced

The publication of these finalised fees means producers can now be much more confident of expected costs and invoice amounts ahead of October this year, alongside the reduction in compliance costs which will be welcome to most.

The Ecosurety EPR cost modelling analytics have been updated with these latest base fees, accessible to Advanced and Premium members in the Ecosurety Hub website.

Fee modulation policy statement

Obligated producers will be aware that the first year of EPR fees will be charged at the base fee rate outlined above, but from 2026 onwards they will be modulated in relation to packaging recyclability.

This recyclability is determined by the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM), the output of which producers will submit against their 2025 household packaging data. The RAM allocates packaging from least recyclable (‘red’) to the most recyclable formats (‘green’).

Previously, to what extent the base fees would be modulated was not confirmed. However, PackUK’s modulation policy statement establishes a three-year framework that outlines escalating modulation factors for packaging assigned as ‘red’:

• 1.2x material base fee for the 2026/27 financial year
• 1.6x material base fee for 2027/28 financial year
• 2x material base fee for 2028/29 financial year

In turn, this means packaging assigned ‘green’ under the RAM will profit from gradually decreasing fees, as the total amount due to local authorities is reimbursed increasingly by packaging assigned as ‘red’.

The statement also clarifies PackUK’s position on medical packaging. As medical packaging is limited to certain material use under other legislation it will be treated differently. Medical packaging that is assigned either ‘green’ or ‘amber’ under the RAM will be charged as such, however if it is assigned ‘red’ “by virtue of regulatory requirement, then it can be reported as belonging to this specific category, and will be modulated as if it were amber-rated”.

Essentially, if medical packaging is assigned ‘red’ due to unavoidable regulatory requirements it will be charged at the base fee and not subject to the modulation factors described above.

We’re here to help

If you have any questions about your packaging EPR fees or RAM data submission, please contact your account manager or help desk for assistance.