(GUF) PPWR - A BIT LIKE pEPR - BUT GOOD

The EU’s new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is bold, detailed and extremely brave. Meanwhile, the UK’s pEPR essentially targets obligated producers, charges by material and weight and adds modulated fees (eventually) but it avoids all the good bits.

Rather than maintaining alignment for trade efficiency, environmental consistency, or ease of implementation, the UK has dropped or delayed alignment with key EU policies (e.g. PPWR, CEAP, Digital Product Passports), introduced less ambitious equivalents (e.g. Simpler Recycling vs. EU minimum collection requirements) and used Brexit freedoms as a justification for divergence even in areas where businesses and local authorities preferred regulatory continuity which suggests divergence is, at least in part, politically driven rather than evidence-led.

The EU has set binding targets to reduce plastic packaging consumption; meanwhile, the UK’s pEPR is doing the opposite by actively encouraging a switch from glass to plastic by penalising heavier, more circular materials and rewarding lightweight ones, regardless of recyclability. It’s not a plastic reduction plan it’s a plastic incentive scheme with better branding.

Whilst the EU is banning packaging with excessive void space (including those crisp packets that contain 80% air and 20% potato), the UK still seems to consider shipping air is a sovereign right.

The EU mandates reusable packaging targets by sector whilst the UK hopes someone might start a pilot scheme on tote bags doing their work for them.

The EU coordinates Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to close the material loop - two parts of the same strategy - collection and cost recovery, working together, meanwhile in the UK, DRS is treated like a completely separate species, as though it must never be seen in public with EPR for fear they might be… related.

The EU is building a circular packaging system whilst the UK is essentially building an invoicing system.

And producers? They’re smart, they’ll invest where and when the rules are clear, mandated, the targets are real and the outcome is measurable. If pEPR wants to be more than a spreadsheet with an invoice at the bottom, it’s time to grow up and catch up.

While we must work within the UK’s sustainability and recycling legislation, let’s aim higher. Work to EU standards — they’re smarter, stronger, and if you're compliant with them, the UK rules won’t just be covered… they’ll be outclassed. PPWR - link - more like this (Defra) - link - more like this (legislation) - link - Defra promotes plastic - link