At 09:00 this morning, a notice was sent out which said “there’s been a decision to defer extended producer responsibility for packaging fees for one year.” The notice went on to explain that the payments will be delayed from October 2024 to October 2025.
After the story was first reported by letsrecycle.com, the notice was pulled shortly after. This was later re-published and it is now understood it was first published in error.
Now, Defra has published this statement in hopes of providing more clarity on the situation.
A Defra spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “Work is ongoing to deliver our extended producer responsibility scheme and we’re continuing to engage closely with manufacturers, retailers, and packaging companies on its design and timelines. Full details will be set out in due course.”
Announcement
Reaction has been pouring in from across the industry (see letsrecycle.com story) since the announcement, with views ranging from ‘pleased’ to ‘unbelievable’.
The department said in the announcement this morning that other timescales “have not changed”, so producers still have to report packaging data for 2023.
Delay
The announcement confirms what have been strong speculations in recent weeks regarding a postponement of the policy.
Nevertheless, Defra has consistently maintained that its stance on EPR remains unchanged. Another, more formal, announcement is expected later this week/early next week, which will provide more clarity.
Producers have been actively lobbying for a delay and have even met with the Prime Minister to express concerns about EPR’s impact on the cost of living.
The most recent decision to postpone EPR will now extend the implementation to a date after the 2024 election, potentially introducing further delays.
