The functionality to reapply for accreditation went live on the RREPW service on Tuesday 1 September 2026.
However, following the launch, Defra became aware of a bug which prevented exporters from accessing the application process.
Defra has now released a fix for the issue.
The department said that accredited exporters looking to apply for their 2027 accreditation should log back into the service and navigate to the relevant accreditation homepage for the material they wish to apply for.
Exporters should then be able to access the reapplication process through the link in the tile at the bottom right of the screen.
Defra added that exporters experiencing any continuing problems with their applications should contact its EPR customer service team.
RREPW service bug
The reapplication functionality was launched on 1 September, but exporters subsequently reported being unable to start their accreditation applications.
Defra’s technical team investigated the problem and identified the cause as a failure within the service to retrieve exporter postcode data.
The postcode information is used to identify the correct regulator for each accreditation application.
The failure meant that exporters affected by the bug were unable to access the functionality to reapply for accreditation.
Exporters that were affected by the bug would have seen a repeated error message which read:
There is a problem. We were unable to start your application. Please try again.
The issue applied to exporters across all four UK administrations.
Record Reprocessed and Exported Packaging Waste service (RREPW)
The RREPW system was developed to replace the National Packaging Waste Database (NPWD) and sits within the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging framework.
Operators are required to use the system to submit data for packaging which has been reprocessed or exported for reprocessing.
The service was officially rolled out in February 2026, although it was originally meant to be online for January 2026.
This meant that for approximately the first six weeks of the year no one in the sector was able to issue PRNs.
Read the latest PRN market analysis here.
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