The Government has announced key deadlines for the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme

The Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) was launched in 2024, with PackUK having been appointed scheme administrator this year. The scheme requires obligated businesses to report on packaging data, such as the recyclability of their packaging, how they recycle it, and details on packaging that they have manufactured. 

The Government has reinforced its deadlines in a press release.  Notably, by 1 April 2025, small organisations must report all of their 2024 data, and large organisations must report their data for July-December 2024. 

The landmark scheme fundamentally changes the way that businesses interact with packaging and its associated waste, moving the cost of dealing with household packaging waste away from taxpayers onto the businesses who produce the packaging.  

In praise of the scheme, Dr Margaret Bates, head of PackUK, said: ‘Together, we will deliver a fair and collaborative scheme that addresses the challenges of packaging waste and lays the foundation for a more sustainable and responsible approach to packaging.’

Here we outline some recent pEPR updates that you should be aware of, and explain which businesses may be affected.

Updates include: 

• A packaging data reporting deadline of 1 April 2025.
• A new regulatory position statement (RPS) means that businesses do not need to report nation of sale and self-managed organisational waste data until 2026.

Note that the RPS does not mean that you don’t have to report data for other periods. If you’re unsure whether you need to report data, it is advisable to report anyway. Not reporting data when you should could result in sanctions.

Additionally, the four nations – England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – have all recently committed to shared pEPR policy. This means that if you have a business in any of the four nations, the reporting requirements for pEPR will always be the same. 

Remember that:

• Large and small or medium sized businesses have different reporting requirements.
• The RPS does not affect data reporting for all periods, and does not mean that you shouldn’t still collect data.
• pEPR is the same as EPR, but indicates a scheme relating to packaging specifically.

To report data for pEPR, visit the Government’s ‘report packaging data’ portal.

For more detailed information on the scheme, see our EPR 2025 updates.