Defra has announced the removal of the mandatory labelling requirement from the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) statutory instrument. This requirement was intended to establish consistent consumer-facing labelling regarding recyclability across packaging in the UK.
In a statement sent to industry stakeholders, Defra confirmed that the EPR is still on schedule to be implemented in January 2025. The department noted that while the mandatory labelling has been dropped, there are plans to reintroduce it through amendments to upcoming legislation, likely in 2025. Defra aims to ensure that the labelling approach is consistent across all UK nations and will take into account forthcoming EU packaging legislation to facilitate potential cross-European labelling.
At the RECOUP Conference on 26 September 2024, Margaret Bates, chair and head of the scheme administrator, expressed hopes that this change would allow the UK EPR to better align with European labelling standards, fostering smoother integration in the future.
You can view our previous story, "Defra releases initial pEPR packaging fees for Year 1 [15.08.2024]".
