Ecoveritas has proclaimed that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is expected to be the main topic of discussion at the upcoming Environmental Packaging Summit. EPR is a new piece of legislation that holds producers responsible for managing household waste, including its entire cost. The UK government is confident that this policy will contribute to a more circular economy for packaging where recyclable waste can be put to better use.
According to Ecoveritas, many UK businesses are unprepared for the policy’s implementation. A survey conducted by the organization showed that 57.1% of respondents do not collect data on packaging waste. This lack of preparedness is concerning, given the policy’s imminent implementation.
The EPR law, along with the Deposit Return Schemes, will increase retailers’ costs by approximately £4 billion. This burden is likely to be passed on to consumers, says the British Retail Consortium.
The Environmental Packaging Summit, scheduled to be held in Birmingham from the 13th to the 14th of June, will bring together packaging professionals from across the supply chain to discuss Extended Producer Responsibility, Deposit Return Schemes, and the latest sustainable innovation.
The summit’s panel session, centering on Extended Producer Responsibility, will include key industry players: the Director of Insights and Innovation at WRAP, and Head of Policy and Infrastructure at Recoup Recycling, among others.
Ecoveritas’s Chief Strategy Officer, Andrew McCaffery, believes that commercial incentives should be in place to help corporations prioritize sustainability. “For sustainability to be a true commercial priority, legislation must incentivise sustainable choices and discourage unsustainable ones. Governments worldwide have begun to enact recycling claim standards, packaging bans and EPR laws. Progress is slow, but it’s gaining momentum,” added McCaffery.
The Environmental Packaging Summit represents an opportunity for leaders to work collaboratively towards managing waste better and achieving the targets set by the EPR law.
