UK Packaging PRO\u00a0has been appointed as\u202fthe\u00a0Producer Responsibility Organisation\u00a0(PRO)\u202ffor the UK\u2019s packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR)\u00a0scheme,\u00a0PackUK\u00a0has announced\u202ftoday (Monday 23 March 2026).\u00a0<\/p>\n
UK Packaging PRO\u00a0is a producer-led organisation\u202fcreated to\u00a0help\u00a0deliver one of the most significant environmental programmes in a generation.\u202fpEPR\u00a0will help drive the shift to more recyclable materials and\u00a0reduce\u00a0waste from going into the nation\u2019s landfills.\u00a0<\/p>\n
UK Packaging PRO\u00a0has brought together\u202fmore than\u202f100\u00a0of the UK\u2019s largest brands,\u00a0retailers\u00a0and trade bodies, supported by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF)\u00a0and\u00a0the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN),\u00a0amongst\u202fothers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A truly collaborative model, an industry-led PRO\u00a0represents\u00a0a unique opportunity for stakeholders across the value chain to shape the future delivery of the\u00a0pEPR\u00a0scheme. It strengthens the partnership between government and industry, harnessing the insights and\u00a0expertise\u00a0of producers to deliver against\u00a0pEPR\u00a0obligations and achieve shared goals, to increase recycling rates and drive circularity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jeremy Blake,\u202fChief\u202fExecutive Officer\u202fof\u00a0PackUK,\u202fsaid:\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m\u202fdelighted to welcome\u202fUK Packaging PRO\u00a0as the new Producer Responsibility Organisation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This announcement follows a rigorous selection process, as\u00a0PackUK\u202fwas committed to choosing the best candidate possible to\u202frepresent\u202fthe diverse interests of the packaging industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The appointment of the PRO\u202fwill further enhance the scheme by unlocking the benefits that an industry-led organisation can bring.<\/p>\n
Circular Economy Minister, Mary Creagh, said:<\/p>\n
This government will accelerate the circular economy transition.<\/p>\n
Our packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme will incentivise businesses towards more sustainable packaging choices and improve recycling services in every region.<\/p>\n
The launch of UK Packaging PRO, led by businesses and working closely with PackUK, is a major step forward \u2013 putting industry expertise at the centre of how pEPR is delivered.<\/p>\n
Karen Graley, Head of UK Packaging PRO, said:<\/p>\n
We\u2019re\u00a0very proud\u00a0to have been appointed to play such a vital role in the Packaging EPR scheme.\u00a0UK Packaging PRO was created to give producers a genuine seat at the table.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
With strong governance in place, a clear mobilisation plan, and broad support from across the sector, we are ready to get to work \u2013 in close partnership with\u00a0PackUK,\u00a0governments, local authorities and organisations across the value chain to deliver a packaging system that works better for everyone.<\/p>\n
The\u202fpEPR\u202fscheme provides\u00a0funding to local authorities,\u00a0to drive improvements in\u00a0recycling,\u00a0with\u00a0\u00a31.4 billion\u00a0invested\u00a0in Year 1 of the scheme. This helps to\u00a0improve packaging waste collection and recycling,\u00a0whilst incentivising\u00a0producers to reduce their material footprint.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
The formal appointment for\u00a0UK Packaging PRO\u00a0will\u00a0commence\u00a0on 1\u00a0April 2026, with\u00a0responsibilities introduced gradually.\u00a0PackUK\u202fwill\u202fmaintain\u00a0oversight of the\u00a0PRO\u202fand\u202fensure its accountability to\u202fthe\u202fgovernments of\u202fthe\u202fUK\u2019s\u202ffour nations.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Core\u202fadministrative\u202fpowers,\u202fsuch as\u202ffinal decisions on local authority payments and producer fees, will remain\u202fwith\u00a0PackUK.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s announcement\u202ffollows an extensive selective process and\u00a0draws on\u00a0well-established international best practice. Similar schemes already\u202foperate\u202fsuccessfully in more than 30 countries,\u202fincluding\u202fin Belgium,\u00a0France\u00a0and Germany,\u202fwhere they\u202fhave helped\u202fto drive higher recycling rates, greater system\u202fefficiency\u202fand lower costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
PackUK\u202fwill build on\u00a0proven approaches while tailoring the model to the UK\u2019s four nation\u202fapproach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UK Packaging PRO\u00a0has been appointed as\u202fthe\u00a0Producer Responsibility Organisation\u00a0(PRO)\u202ffor the UK\u2019s packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR)\u00a0scheme,\u00a0PackUK\u00a0has announced\u202ftoday (Monday 23…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[1397,90,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-494428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=494428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=494428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=494428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=494428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}