Food and drink industry – who is obligated?

A company or group of companies is obligated under the Producer Responsibility (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1999, 2005 if it satisfies two tests:

• The amount of packaging handled by the company or group is greater than 50 tonnes per year
• The turnover of the company or group is greater than £2million

The obligation applies to packaging or packaging materials that the company produces, transforms, packs, fills or sells. It includes imported transit packaging but does not include packaging which is exported or discarded in its process by the company.

The obligation can be discharged through a compliance scheme, or directly by providing evidence to the regulator. Changes to the regulations in 2005 mean that companies with a turnover of less than £5million can opt for a simplified calculation of obligated tonnage based on turnover.

More information

• Contact us with a question if you are unsure how these regulations apply to your business.
• More on packaging.
• Minimising packaging costs.
• DEFRA - The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2005 Is your business complying?.
• Environment Agency - Netregs.