Consultation on the draft Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024

Overview

Following consultations in 2019 and 2021, the UK Government and Devolved Administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales confirmed in March 2022 the proposals to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging. Since then, we have been working to develop the draft Regulations which will introduce the measures set out in the Government Response of March 2022.

We remain committed to introducing measures that work for business, local government, the environment, and the economy and which deliver sustained change. The policy is designed to improve efficiency by placing responsibility on businesses for the environmental impact of their packaging. This to incentivise appropriate use of packaging and the use of recyclable and reusable packaging, and in turn encourage more domestic reprocessing and overall system improvements and savings.

This consultation now shares the draft Regulations which will implement Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, as set out in the March 2022 Government Response. This consultation is being undertaken jointly by the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. The Regulations will apply UK-wide.

Why your views matter

The purpose of this consultation is to gather views on how the approach set out in Government's consultation response of March 2022 has been reflected in the draft Regulations, and to receive feedback on the operability of the implementation arrangements.

We would particularly appreciate views on the clarity with which these draft Regulations define the responsibilities of obligated producers, exporters, reprocessors, compliance schemes, local authorities and councils, the Scheme Administrator, and the regulators, identifying any ambiguities in the text that could be improved.

The questions are designed to be answered with reference to the consultation document; please view this document as you complete the online survey.  You do not need to answer all the questions; only the questions relevant to you/your organisation. The draft Regulations are also provided.

We encourage you to respond to this consultation. Your responses will help ensure an effective regulatory framework is put in place.

Please note that this consultation will close at 23:59 on 9th October 2023.

What happens next

This consultation will close on 9 October 2023. The Governments will consider the responses to the consultation and make amendments to the draft Regulations as appropriate.

Following consideration of responses, appropriate amendments and refinements to the draft Regulations will be made, and that updated draft will be notified to the WTO and EU in Spring 2024 and will be available via the notification process for stakeholders to view.

All the Governments will continue to work together to monitor the impact of these draft Regulations on the operation of the UK internal market.