Drinks Retailing is reporting that ahead of the announcement of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) base fees this week, a coalition of trade associations has written to Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, outlining significant concerns, particularly regarding the impact on glass packaging.
The group, which includes the Scotch Whisky Association, Wine & Spirit Trade Association, WineGB, British Beer and Pub Association, British Glass, and UK Hospitality, highlighted that the current EPR structure would impose disproportionately higher costs on glass. Despite being infinitely recyclable and making up only 5% of the volume of containers on the market, glass will account for roughly 30% of the scheme’s costs. The associations argue this is an “unfair and disproportionate cost” that will ultimately lead to increased prices for consumers.
The letter warns that these high costs could push producers to switch to less recyclable materials, thereby undermining the EPR scheme’s environmental goals.
Furthermore, the associations raised concerns about the practical workability of the scheme, specifically regarding the definition of “household packaging waste” (also known as “dual use” packaging). They pointed out that businesses supplying the on-trade via a wholesaler are likely to incur fees for packaging that will always end up in business waste streams, not household waste. This could result in producers facing double packaging costs due to “double counting.”
