June 27, 2025 (Packaging News) –
Work to implement a UK-wide extended producer responsibility (EPR) programme for tackling packaging waste is looking at global examples of how similar schemes are managed to shape its work.
By Neil Merrett
Karen Graley, who was appointed earlier this year to head up and develop a producer responsibility organisation (PRO) to work with the UK’s packaging EPR scheme administrator, said there were a number of programmes around the world offering useful lessons in the body’s design.
Graley was speaking during the final day of Environmental Packaging Summit 2025 in London on 25 June during a presentation entitled, ‘Why Do We Need a Producer-Led PRO?’
The implementation plans for creating the UK’s PRO would therefore look at how other countries and regions were moving to introduce ‘polluter pays’ systems to secure funding from the wider industry to fund and overhaul recycling and waste services, she said.
Graley added that she had spent her first few months in the role by looking at EPR regimes and initiatives from around the world to understand some of the key differences and approaches being taken by the organisations overseeing this work.
She said: “I have to say it really opened my eyes as to how much is already out there and what we can learn.”
These lessons included examples of both good and bad practice across what was believed to several dozen different EPR approaches – with some 26 in place across Europe.
Graley said that she has been able to engage with organisations involved in the management of similar EPR scheme for packaging in Germany, France, Spain and Canada.
She said: “They are very open and keen to see what the UK does and where it goes.”
It was announced last year that an industry-led PRO would be established to support councils to run more efficient waste and recycling services and ensure greater amounts of materials are circulated back into the supply chain to reduce demand on virgin resources.
Next steps
A formal application process to run and operate an industry-led organisation to run the extended producer responsibility scheme (pEPR) is expected to launch in October, Graley said during the summit.
The process is expected to lead to the implementation of the producer responsibility organisation (PRO) from March 2026. It will then work with PackUK, the official EPR scheme administrator that launched earlier this year, in order to help calculate the fees payable from obligated producers to support transforming local authority services.
Ahead of the appointment of the final PRO structure, Graley said she was also looking to gather feedback from a wide range of stakeholders and organisations involved in the supply and management of packaging waste materials. This would help ensure more end-to-end collaboration across the materials chain with input from local authorities and other organisations responsible for the disposal, recycling and processing of waste.
Graley said that she hoped to see wider engagement with the waste management sector and supply chains on creating what she called a “fully-rounded” end-to-end approach of helping address packaging waste via the EPR.
This would build on some of the existing discussion that had already been held to outline the work of the PRO and how it partners with stakeholders such as local authorities and companies and organizations collecting and processing waste materials.
She said: “When we talk about the full value chain. it’s everything including the waste management sector, recycling and processing as well.”
“So we’ve had lots of discussion with them already.”
Further feedback would continue to be welcomed in discussions as authorities across the UK continue to push ahead with implementing the EPR regime, added Graley.
She said: “There is probably those that we missed, so that is what we want to do. We want to seek them out now so we can start to engage and get their insights and input too.
Graley also argued for the importance of giving an industry-led PRO an important role in helping to manage the EPR regime in reflection of the sector’s expertise and knowledge on a range of critical issues linked to packaging design and materials supply.
This expertise included the understanding companies had of different supply flows and packaging production design briefs to look at functionality and the best options for material use, added Graley.
She argued that there was a desire within the the industry to give companies control and accountability for delivering for the pEPR regime from the outset to ensure targets are met.
Graley added: “It kind of makes sense that it would be producer-led.”
In heading the PRO and its formation, Graley said that the EPR for packaging should be treated as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to tackle material waste and recycling.
There was therefore a timely need to ensure the effective implementation of an industry-led scheme to contribute funding to scaling-up recycling and waste reduction from packaging from their operations, she said.
Graley said: “If we don’t so that. We are letting ourselves down”
Graley accepted that that time would need to be given to effectively ensure the transition and implementation to the EPR system.
She said: “It does take time to implement these changes. They don’t happen overnight. We started talking about this seven years ago. So let’s make it worth all the time and all the value, resources and the pain that’s gone into getting us to where we are now.”
This story was originally published by our sister title, Materials Recycling World.
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