United Kingdom
Selling packaging into the UK from abroad
If you sell from outside Britain, forget the authorised representative you would appoint in the EU. Packaging EPR in United Kingdom runs on a different idea: the duty follows whoever places the packaged goods on the market, or the marketplace that hosts an overseas seller.
You are an obligated producer once you cross the size lines and also handle the packaging in one of a few ways.
That covers owning the brand of packaged goods sold in the UK, importing packaged goods, supplying packaging to another UK business, selling to UK consumers through your own website, or running an online marketplace that lets non-UK businesses sell into the UK.
Getting registered and reporting in the UK
Registration and reporting both run through RPD, the Report Packaging Data service the Environment Agency operates. You create an account, submit your packaging data by material and weight, and register with your regulator. Large producers also buy PRNs or PERNs to meet recycling targets.
| Duty | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Register and pay the charge | RPD plus your regulator | Before you report for the year |
| Large producer data H1 January to June | RPD | 1 October the same year |
| Large producer data H2 July to December | RPD | 1 April the following year |
| Small producer data full year | RPD | 1 April the following year |
| Disposal fee invoices | PackUK | From October each year |
Small producers file once a year and never buy PRNs or pay disposal fees, so a single annual data return is the whole job. Large producers report every six months and carry the full financing duty.
If you have no UK establishment
There is no authorised representative for UK packaging. You cannot nominate a UK stand-in the way an authorised representative works in other regimes. The duty lands on whoever supplies or imports the goods, or on the marketplace.
When a non-UK business sells into the UK through an online marketplace, the UK marketplace operator becomes the producer for that packaging. It collects and reports the data, pays the disposal fees and buys the PRNs. UK electronics rules took the same route for WEEE.
The dates ahead for packaging in the UK
Packaging is the busiest corner of EPR in the UK, and the pressure keeps building. Eco-modulation fees begin biting from the 2026 to 2027 year, and a deposit return scheme follows in 2027.
Enforcement already has teeth. The 2024 Regulations give the Environment Agency, SEPA, Natural Resources Wales and the Northern Ireland agency civil sanctions, from monetary penalties to enforcement undertakings and prosecution.
In 2025 the Environment Agency alone reported 16 enforcement undertakings from packaging producers worth £531,478.
Questions sellers ask about packaging EPR in the UK
The questions that come up most, answered short.
Who has to register for packaging EPR in the UK?
Any business placing packaged goods on the UK market that crosses the size lines: brand owners, importers, sellers and distributors, plus online marketplaces for the non-UK sellers they host. Registration and data reporting run through the RPD service.
Is there a threshold or exemption for small producers?
Yes. You are out of scope with turnover of £1M or less, or 25 tonnes of packaging or less. Small producers file once a year and do not pay disposal fees or buy PRNs. Large producers are those with turnover of £2M or more and more than 50 tonnes.
Do foreign or online sellers need an authorised representative in the UK?
No. UK packaging EPR has no authorised representative route. A non-UK seller that sells through an online marketplace passes the producer duties to the UK marketplace operator, which registers, reports and pays for that packaging.
What happens if I sell without registering?
Regulators can impose civil sanctions, including monetary penalties and enforcement undertakings, and can prosecute. In 2025 the Environment Agency alone reported 16 enforcement undertakings from packaging producers totalling £531,478.
What changes next for packaging EPR in the UK?
Eco-modulation starts biting from the 2026 to 2027 year, raising fees on hard-to-recycle materials. A deposit return scheme for PET, aluminium and steel drinks containers follows on 1 October 2027 in England and Northern Ireland, with Scotland and Wales running separate schemes.
