The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has released the first indicative base fees for extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme for packaging, which will come into effect in 2025.
The EPR scheme seeks to make those who introduce packaging into the market responsible for its entire lifecycle, ensuring that product design incorporates considerations for disposal and recycling.
The base fees will apply to obligated packaging producers and will be administered by the Scheme Administrator (SA). Fees will be additional to charges imposed by environmental regulations across the UK, and the costs of meeting packaging recycling targets.
The 2025/26 base fee rates vary depending on the material. Aluminium packaging fees range between £245 and £655 per tonne; fibre-based composites between £410 and £655 per tonne; paper or board between £185 and £350 per tonne; plastic between £355 and £610 per tonne; and steel between £170 and £420 per tonne.
Fees for wood and other materials range from £225 to £330 per tonne. Glass fees, calculated using a separate methodology, are estimated to be between £130 and £330 per tonne.
CAMRA Real Ale, Cider & Perry Campaigns Director Gillian Hough said:
“CAMRA supports the principles of the Extended Producer Responsibility and its potential benefits to the environment, however, a tax on bottles used for beer and cider needs careful implementation to ensure that independent producers and consumers aren’t the ones paying the price.”
“The industry has awaited clarity on the requirements of EPR for a long time, and while having these latest estimates will help brewers and cider makers plan for the future, the costs in current proposals are simply too high.”
“It’s positive that the scheme already makes some distinction between large and small producers, but Government needs to urgently rethink the burden it is placing on the industry – particularly on independent brewers who are so crucial for consumer choice.
“Glass bottles are some of the most commonly recycled items in circulation, so the estimated £212m price tag for this packaging feels hugely disproportionate, especially given the sectors already high overall tax bill and recent shocks from fluctuating energy costs, the growing cost of goods and the ever-lingering shadow of the pandemic.”
“I urge DEFRA to meet with industry, hear the concerns of brewers, cider makers and consumers, and rethink their proposals.”
