Ecosurety vs Ecoveritas for packaging data and EPR reporting in 2026

Ecosurety vs Ecoveritas is a closer call than most, because both companies promise the same thing, packaging data cleaned up to the point where an EPR submission holds.

What separates them sits downstream of the data. Ecosurety are a UK compliance scheme, so they can hold your obligation and buy your recycling evidence. Ecoveritas are an independent data company and do neither, on purpose.

This page sets out what each one publishes about the data work, the evidence question, how far they reach past the UK, and what you can find out about price.

Ecosurety wrap the data work inside the scheme

Ecosurety are a UK compliance scheme based in Bristol, with over 20 years behind them, B Corp certification since 2020 and a client list of more than 500 major brands and retailers, Clarks, John Lewis, Kellogg's and Dr Martens among them.

Their pitch is on the homepage in one line, "we transform complex, raw packaging data into accurate EPR submissions with actionable insights".

The data engine they publish numbers for

Most compliance schemes describe the service and stop. Ecosurety publish the mechanics, and the numbers are specific enough to hold them to.

1. Three ways in. Raw files in any format, supplier uploads through their Ecosurety Collect platform, or direct synchronisation, which they list as Cloud-to-Cloud, Snowflake-to-Snowflake and bespoke APIs.
2. Over 220 validation checks, run from ingestion through to calculation. They say those checks flagged more than 2.6 million opportunities to improve accuracy across all customers in the last EPR submission.
3. 5.5 million rows of data processed per submission by their compliance engine, with an expert review on top.
4. They press submit. Processed data goes to the regulators for UK EPR and international regulations, reviewed and submitted on your behalf.
5. ISO 27001 and full audit logs, on cloud-native architecture.

On supplier data specifically, Collect is a service wrapped around a platform. They chase your suppliers, validate what comes back, adjust the chasing to lift coverage, then pull out what the submission needs.

One case study describes hundreds of suppliers and over ten thousand products reaching 99% validated packaging data. Their line on ownership is worth noting, "you own the data and can view, edit and export it as required".

Where being the scheme changes things

The evidence side is where a scheme is structurally different from a consultancy. A Packaging Recovery Note, or PRN, is the certificate an accredited UK reprocessor issues to prove a tonne of packaging was recycled.

Large producers have to fund PRNs in proportion to their obligated tonnage, so the size of what you put on the market sets the size of the bill. We walk through how to calculate EPR fees separately.

Ecosurety put it plainly. "As your compliance scheme, we handle this obligation for you."

They also claim the second-largest PRN obligation of any compliance scheme, which is their figure rather than an audited one, and they have spent over 20 years building reprocessor relationships to buy against it.

Aimed at the size of the bill

A large slice of what Ecosurety sell is aimed at the size of the bill rather than the accuracy of the return.

Large producers must run the Recyclability Assessment Methodology across household packaging, and the result feeds straight into eco-modulated fees.

Anything left unknown defaults to red, the worst rating, and costs the most. So they sell three ways at that problem.

1. A data screening service that recommends RAM outputs from the data you already hold.
2. An online RAM component checker, which resolves a single component through yes or no questions.
3. Supplier outreach, where they go to your suppliers for the component detail you are missing.

Their Smart review tools then model what the RAM and fee modulation do to your costs, using your last submission as the base.

Their scenario modelling extends that to packaging changes across EPR, PRNs, the UK Plastic Packaging Tax and deposit return.

One published case study puts a number on it, a major UK retailer mitigating a forecast £27 million in EPR fees by clearing up unknown RAM statuses. Read that as forecast fees avoided rather than cash recovered, and it still says what the work is for.

Ecoveritas sell the data work on its own

Ecoveritas were established in 1999 and describe themselves as an independent data company, with over 25 years in compliance and sustainability data.

They cite more than 70 clients whose combined turnover passes £50 billion, and over 250 annual returns across packaging, WEEE and battery calculations.

Their software product carries the same job in self-serve form.

What the independence actually changes

One sentence on their registration and reporting page carries their whole position. "As an independent data company, we don't trade PRNs or operate compliance schemes, so our insights and reports are completely impartial."

That is a commercial choice, not a gap in the range, and it has three practical consequences.

1. The number and the sale are separate. Whoever eventually sells you evidence, they did not calculate the tonnage it is priced against.
2. You still get help with the buy. Their service includes helping you understand the PRN market and membership costs and evaluate your options, without being in the trade.
3. Filing is still on the table. They "either guide your team through the registration process or manage it on your behalf", liaise with regulators directly, and submit reports across multiple countries or product categories.

The software is the self-serve end

my.ecoveritas is described as a platform for small and medium-sized businesses, which is a different audience from the £50 billion client list above, and it is the only route on either side of this comparison where you can start without a sales call.

The flow they publish runs in six steps, create an account, build a company profile, upload data, match weights, validate, generate a report.

A free account is advertised with no credit card required, giving unlimited access to their obligation checker, with subscription offers and pricing plans shown after signup. Secure storage and a full audit trail sit behind it.

How the UK regulatory side is covered

Because Ecoveritas are not a scheme, the regulatory half of UK compliance comes through a partner. Their UK compliance page is about the Veolia x Ecoveritas alliance, headed "Two specialists. One alliance."

The division of labour is stated. Ecoveritas take "the full upstream data journey, collection, supplier engagement, weight validation and impartial reporting", and Veolia apply "their specialist regulatory and compliance expertise on top". No start date is given for the alliance.

That is the honest trade against Ecosurety. You get separation between the party measuring your packaging and the party holding the compliance agenda, and two organisations in the room instead of one.

How much of the evidence decision you keep

The PRN question is usually written up as a yes or no, and between these two it is closer to a dial. Ecosurety sell three different positions on it, and Ecoveritas sit at the far end by refusing the trade altogether.

Ecosurety's own descriptions map the first three positions.

1. Scheme PRNs. They buy as part of their overall scheme obligation and decide when to go to market on their analysis and forecasting. They say 99% of their compliance customers use this.
2. Active-buy. They recommend, you approve, and you set the timing, spend and source. Their words for who this suits are producers who want "100% control" of their PRN investments.
3. Direct-buy. For producers who are not registered with their scheme at all. They buy or you active-buy, then the PRNs transfer to you or to whichever scheme you belong to, including one of their competitors.

Ecoveritas hold the fourth position. They do not trade PRNs, they will price your options and membership costs, and the transaction happens somewhere else.

The limit is worth stating plainly. Because they are not a scheme, the obligation itself still has to be discharged through one, so a producer working with Ecoveritas has one more relationship to run than a producer who hands the whole thing to Ecosurety.

Ecosurety and Ecoveritas row by row

The table runs from the parts of the job you can hand over completely down to the parts that stay yours either way. Every cell is each company's own current wording, checked in August 2026.

How far past the UK each one goes

Both go well beyond Britain, and they describe it differently enough that the comparison needs care.

Ecosurety start with a review

An international compliance review covers PPWR and packaging, single-use plastics, batteries, WEEE and textiles. It returns the countries you are obligated in, your data gaps and the actions to close them.

After that they coordinate registrations, process and validate the data and submit it, priced as a flat charge per country per year. They publish one customer, Clarks, as running compliance in 20 countries.

Ecoveritas lead with the count

More than 30 countries where they manage global EPR data reporting, spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Africa and the Middle East, backed by 250-plus annual returns.

Neither number tells you whether your specific markets are covered, so the useful question is the same for both, which of my countries have you filed in this year.

Both stop short of the conformity declaration

PPWR requires an EU Declaration of Conformity for packaging placed on the EU market, and neither company claims to issue one.

Ecosurety name it as something you must complete and offer data, insight and guidance around it. Ecoveritas offer a PPWR obligation assessment plus a conformity report and template.

If that declaration is your deadline, ask each in writing who signs what, and hold the answer against an EU Declaration of Conformity checklist.

What a quote from each one should show

Neither company publishes a UK price, as of August 2026. Both start with a form and a conversation, which is normal at this end of the market and no less annoying when you are building next year's budget.

Two things are visible before you talk to anyone. Ecosurety publish the shape of their international pricing, a flat charge per country per year, with no number attached.

Ecoveritas advertise a free my.ecoveritas account, so you can get inside the software and see their plans after signup even though the website carries no price.

Since the numbers arrive by email, the only real defence is forcing the same breakdown out of both.

1. Split the service fee from the evidence spend. Ask what is fee and what is PRN cost passed through, and whether PRN cost sits inside the membership or gets invoiced as the market moves.
2. Price it per country. One international bundle hides which markets are expensive.
3. Ask what a SKU costs you. Both price effort against data volume in practice, so ask what happens to the quote when your product range grows by a third.
4. Get the RAM work scoped separately. Screening, a component checker and supplier chasing are three different jobs with three different price tags.
5. Ask who owns and can export the data. Ecosurety state that you own what is in Collect. Get the equivalent answer in writing either way.
6. Ask what changes when you add a stream. Batteries or textiles landing in scope is where a cheap first year stops being cheap.

Match it to what you have to prove this year

Most producers are not choosing between service catalogues, they are choosing whoever can produce the specific proof someone is about to ask them for. Find the line that sounds like your year.

1. You have to file on time and would rather not think about it. Ecosurety. One relationship covers the data, the evidence and the submission.
2. You have to stop your RAM ratings defaulting to red. Ecosurety. Screening, the component checker and supplier outreach are all pointed at exactly that, and the fee impact is what their Smart review tools model.
3. You have to defend the number to someone who sold you nothing. Ecoveritas. An auditor, a retailer's data request or your own finance director is the audience their independence is built for.
4. You have to forecast next year's fees for a budget meeting. Either, but ask to see the output. Ecosurety model fees off your last submission, Ecoveritas run analytics on your compliance data.
5. You have to comply in more countries than you can track. Both go wide. Compare the actual country lists and ask when each one last filed in the markets you care about.
6. You want to see the software before you commit. Ecoveritas, through the free my.ecoveritas account. Ecosurety's tools sit behind a customer login.
7. You want to run the reporting in-house on a published price. Neither, since both are contact-led services. That end of the market does exist, and Repax lists tiers openly with a free plan and paid plans from €29 a month as of July 2026. It is also our own product, so treat that as a pointer rather than a recommendation on a page about two other companies.

The question underneath all seven is short. Do you want the company that validates your packaging data to also hold your obligation and buy your evidence, or do you want those jobs held apart?

If neither shape fits, the field is wider than these two.

There is a fuller rundown of UK packaging EPR software, plus separate pages on Ecosurety alternatives and Ecoveritas alternatives.

Frequently asked questions about Ecosurety and Ecoveritas

The questions producers ask most when they are weighing these two, answered as briefly as the facts allow.

Is Ecosurety or Ecoveritas better for EPR compliance?

Neither is better across the board, because they are different kinds of provider. Ecosurety are a UK compliance scheme, so they can hold your packaging obligation, buy your recycling evidence and submit your data.

Ecoveritas are an independent data company that does not trade PRNs or run schemes, so their reporting carries no stake in what you buy. Choose on which of those two properties your year needs.

What is the main difference between Ecosurety and Ecoveritas?

Ecosurety sell the evidence and the scheme alongside the data work. Ecoveritas sell only the data work, and say in writing that refusing the rest is what keeps their reporting impartial.

Everything else overlaps heavily, including supplier data collection, validation, recyclability work, plastic tax support, international reporting and submitting your return.

Is Ecoveritas a compliance scheme?

No. Ecoveritas describe themselves as an independent data company and state plainly that they do not operate compliance schemes or trade PRNs.

In the UK the regulatory side is covered through the Veolia x Ecoveritas alliance, where Ecoveritas handle the upstream data and Veolia add the compliance expertise.

Does Ecosurety buy your PRNs?

Yes, and in three different ways. On scheme PRNs they buy as part of their overall obligation and choose the timing, which they say 99% of their compliance customers use. On active-buy they recommend and you approve the timing, spend and source.

Direct-buy is for producers outside their scheme, where the PRNs transfer to you or to your own compliance scheme.

Can you use Ecosurety without joining their compliance scheme?

Yes, for evidence. Their direct-buy option is explicitly for producers who are not registered with their scheme, including producers under contract with another scheme or registered directly.

Who actually submits your packaging data?

Either company will. Ecosurety review and submit processed data to the regulators for UK EPR and international regulations. Ecoveritas will guide your team through registration or manage it for you, and submit reports on your behalf across countries and product categories.

That means the choice is rarely about who presses submit. It is about who holds the obligation behind the submission.

How much do Ecosurety and Ecoveritas cost?

Neither publishes a price, as of August 2026. Ecosurety publish the pricing shape for international work, a flat charge per country per year, with no figure attached. Ecoveritas advertise a free my.ecoveritas account with no credit card required, and show subscription plans after signup.

For UK work both quote after a conversation, so the only way to compare is to demand the same breakdown from each.

Does either one handle EU PPWR and the Declaration of Conformity?

Both address PPWR and both stop short of issuing the declaration. Ecosurety list completing a Declaration of Conformity among your obligations and offer packaging insight, guidance articles and support around it.

Ecoveritas offer a PPWR obligation assessment, plus data support that produces a conformity report and a template. If you need the declaration itself, confirm with each of them in writing who produces and signs it.

Which one suits a smaller UK producer?

Ecosurety invite everyone "from a small business to a global brand" into membership, though their published client list skews to large brands and retailers.

Ecoveritas run a split, since the managed service serves 70-plus clients with combined turnover above £50 billion, while my.ecoveritas is described as a platform for small and medium-sized businesses.

If your obligation is modest, ask both for a quote scoped to your actual tonnage rather than to the flagship service, and check whether you are a large producer under the UK rules before you buy anything.