Corporate report

Pack UK interim strategy

Published 27 June 2025

1. Executive summary 

This is an interim strategy: a long-term strategy will be launched later in 2025 to include  

• long term structures and arrangements 
• developments to UK wide policy objectives over the coming months for example, the planned appointment of a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) by March 2026 

Vision  

Reduce unnecessary packaging and increase the circularity of packaging materials. 

Purpose 

The Scheme Administrator (PackUK’s) objective is to work across all 4 UK Nations to implement the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 (the Packaging Regulations 2024) ^{[footnote 1]}. 

In compliance with the Packaging Regulations 2024, this strategy has been developed in collaboration with the four Nations of the UK. In addition, PackUK has worked with the interim Scheme Administrator Steering Group ^{[footnote 2]}.

This is an interim strategy that sets out the outcomes PackUK seeks to achieve by outlining the strategic goals for PackUK in the coming years during its set up stage, laying the foundations for the development of PackUK’s long-term vision and approach. It sets out how PackUK’s set up will contribute to a circular economy through incentivising the use of environmentally sustainable packaging and enabling of efficient and effective management of packaging through Local Authority (LA) waste services. 

PackUK’s approach also emphasises collaboration with stakeholders ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the process. Additionally, the strategy details our commitment to measuring and reporting on the delivery of these strategic goals and the environmental impacts, aligning with both shared UK-wide and nation level policies. We are fully committed to reviewing and updating the full strategy every five years to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness. 

The strategy aims to achieve the delivery of the environmental benefits set out in the joint policy statement ^{[footnote 3]} through strategic goals focused on packaging materials, processing methods, and influencing citizen behaviours, working in collaboration with all 4 nations of the UK and industry stakeholders. Key to the approach are mechanisms like fee modulation, and fostering collaboration across the value chain, overseen by a structured governance model involving both Ministerial and advisory technical committees.  

Background  

The UK’s pEPR (Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility) policy, along with other key full-system reforms, will transform the packaging value chain by making producers pay the full cost of managing their packaging waste. This will drive a shift towards recyclable, reusable, and minimal packaging. Producers will favour simpler material designs, responsibly sourced packaging and avoid hard-to-recycle packaging to reduce compliance costs.

Packaging brands, manufacturers and suppliers will respond with more sustainable materials and designs. Retailers may prioritise products with lower-impact packaging, and in time clearer labelling will help consumers recycle correctly.  

The policy will also fund more efficient and effective reprocessing and recycling services across LAs, encouraging higher recycling rates and reducing contamination. By aligning fiscal responsibility with environmental impact, pEPR promotes a circular economy—cutting waste, lowering emissions, and keeping materials in use for longer. 

PackUK delivers the following on behalf of the 4 UK nations: 

• Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) fee rates for household packaging materials
• collection of fees from obligated producers who supply household packaging onto the market
• payments to LAs to cover the efficient and effective cost of managing household packaging waste while incentivising the increase in quantity and quality of recycling 
• public communications and information campaigns to drive better behaviours

In performing these functions, we will operate a scheme which develops the circular economy whilst providing good value for money for producers and ensuring LAs are delivering efficient and effective recycling and disposal services.

PackUK will also look to influence consumer behaviour, in collaboration with partners, by delivering effective public communications and information campaigns that encourage people to dispose of packaging waste correctly. 

In the delivery of its functions under the Packaging Regulations 2024, PackUK must act in accordance with the need to facilitate the achievement of the environmental benefits set out in the 4-nation policy statement. These environmental benefits are: 

• the use of environmentally sustainable packaging 
• the prevention of packaging becoming waste 
• an increase in the reuse of packaging and reusable packaging formats 
• an increase in the quantity and quality of packaging materials recycled 
• an increase in the use of recycled material in new packaging 
• a reduction in the packaging material placed on the market 

The 4-nations of the UK consider the delivery of these outcomes, through PackUK, as central to supporting the transition to a circular economy, whilst maximising the carbon efficiencies associated with the lifecycle of packaging materials. 

2. Year 1 goals  

These following goals have been identified to be delivered in year one of the strategy. 

Deliver key outcomes outlined in the UK joint policy statement on packaging Extended Producer Responsibility:  

• producer base fees and modulation statement  
• LA efficient and effective management of packaging waste 
• public information campaigns 
• measuring and reporting on progress 

Appointment of producer responsibility organisation  

PackUK will appoint a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) to carry out several key functions on its behalf. While the PRO will develop its own strategy, it will remain closely aligned with the strategic direction of PackUK. 

Appoint senior staff  

Key appointments will be in place to lead the PackUK organisation, namely the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer.  

Governance and technical committees  

A 4 nations governance framework for PackUK has been developed to oversee the operations of all PackUK activities. This governance structure includes a 4 Nations Ministerial Steering Board (FNMSB), the Scheme Administrator Executive Committee (SA ExCo) and the advisory Scheme Administrator Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (SA ARAC). Each of these bodies will ensure an equal role for each of the four nations in PackUK decision-making.  

SA ExCo will also be supported in their decision making by advisory bodies of experts representing the packaging value chain including the Scheme Administrator Steering Group advising on strategic considerations for delivery of the scheme, and specific advisory bodies focused on the Recycling Assessment Methodology, Efficiency and Effectiveness, and Communications and Behaviour Change. 

Recyclability assessment methodology (RAM)  

Collaborate with industry to use modulation, pEPR fees and the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) to encourage the use of more sustainable packaging and drive change within the packaging value chain, whilst ensuring there is sufficient scope for packaging innovation. 

Efficiency and Effectiveness (E&E)  

Deliver the Improvement Action Process (IAP) pilots across the four nations to enhance and refine future processes. The pilot objective is to understand how the IAP will work in practice. PackUK wants to ensure the IAP works with each nation’s existing waste performance policies and governance processess. Pilot outcomes include strategic outline case, specific improvement actions and LA metric information.  

To also work closely across the four 4 Nations to potentially bring E&E 2028 assessments forward.  

There will be further engagement with industry on efficiency and effectiveness measures and metrics in early 2026, following initial engagement and policy development during Autumn 2025. 

Alignment with Devolved Government policies and strategies  

PackUK strategy will take account of circular economy reforms, polices and legislation in each nation of the United Kingdom to ensure alignment.  

3. Long-term strategy summary

Vision 

Reduce unnecessary packaging and increase the circularity of packaging materials 

Purpose 

PackUK’s purpose is to work across all 4 UK nations to increase the sustainability and reduce the environmental impact of packaging. PackUK will operate in an effective and efficient manner to deliver these outcomes 

Outcome pillars 

• Packaging materials: establish a sustainable packaging market that reduces unnecessary packaging, ensures recyclability, and aligns with market standards and specifications 
• Collecting and managing packaging better: optimise the entire value chain to operate as an integrated, effective system delivering maximum efficiency at every stage. 
• People and system behaviours: foster a culture of collaboration across the value chain to drive systemic behaviour change, empowering citizens to reduce packaging use and improve waste separation

Strategic goals 

1. Packaging materials: 

• 1.1: optimise the use of packaging 
• 1.2: expand use of refill and reuse packaging 
• 1.3: make packaging easily recyclable 

2. Collecting and managing packaging better: 

• 2.1: collect more packaging 
• 2.2: sort materials better for recycling, reuse and refill 
• 2.3: efficient processing 

3. People and system behaviours: 

• 3.1: encourage citizens to consume less packaging and to sort and separate better 
• 3.2: increase accountability across the value chain 

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 

These are the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): 

• RAM categorisation becoming progressively greener 
• better value for money for producers 
• producer reporting accuracy and timeliness is more than 95% by 2030 
• total tonnage of household packaging placed on the market per capita is reducing 
• local Authority waste management is becoming more effective 
• increase in recycling rates across all 4 nations

1. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 ↩

2. For SASG purpose and membership - Our governance - PackUK - GOV.UK ↩

3. UK joint policy statement on packaging Extended Producer Responsibility - GOV.UK ↩