Time running out for businesses to report packaging data under Extended Producer Responsibility regulations
Businesses with an annual turnover of over £2 million - or those supplying more than 50 tonnes of empty packaging or packaged goods in the UK - have two weeks left to report their packaging data online.
"Large producers" must report this information to the Government regulator by 31 May 2024 or risk enforcement action being taken against them.
In September 2023, the Government issued a regulatory position statement explaining that no action would be taken against businesses which missed the original data submission deadline of 1 April 2024 provided this was submitted by the end of May 2024.
The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) - the UK trade association for agricultural supply businesses - understands that officials are noting the low number of enrolments on the new Report Packaging Data (RPD) system to date, with environmental regulators set to take enforcement action against businesses which fail to submit data in time.
How to submit data
Businesses affected by the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging need to create an account on the Report RPD online service via GOV.UK and enrol as a "producer".
Visit GOV.UK for full details on which businesses are impacted and what needs to be reported.
Obligated producers of packaging in Wales do not have to report data from January to June but may choose to report that data through the RPD if they wish.
Large producers are required to report both their packaging data and their organisational details by submitting .csv files to the regulator using their RPD account.
Two separate data submissions are reported for January to June, and July to December. Where all the data from January to June is not available, businesses can report data from March to June instead.
Support and guidance
AIC Members can access support to create an account and submit data to the regulator through the EPR Help Desk - call 0300 060 0002 or email [email protected].
To check if your organisation needs to report packaging data, visit the GOV.UK website and follow the instructions to access the new Report Packaging Data service.
Businesses required to submit packaging data under EPR can use a downloadable spreadsheet hosted on GOV.UK to help them generate a valid packaging data file, or allow them to check how a file should be structured before creating one of their own.
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