SCHEME administrator PackUK has published the 2025 base fees for the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) initiative.
The move is designed to provide certainty ahead of the first invoices in October 2025.
Following three previous illustrative publications of estimated fees, these confirmed fees are said to represent a milestone in the implementation of the UK’s circular economy transition.
PackUK said nearly all fees have reduced compared with the illustrative base fees published in December, with glass down by 20%.
The 2025 base fees are calculated using packaging tonnages reported by producers for 2024 and local authority waste management costs.
PackUK has also published its first Producer Fee Modulation Policy Statement for the pEPR scheme. The new modulation policy establishes a three-year framework that will adjust producer fees based on packaging recyclability, as assessed through the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) ratings.
Starting from the 2026/27 financial year, the policy will apply escalating modulation factors of 1.2x, 1.6x, and 2.0x over consecutive years.
This means producers of RAM Green-rated (highly recyclable) packaging will benefit from steadily decreasing fees, while producers of RAM Red-rated (poorly recyclable) packaging will face progressively higher fees . Special provisions apply for medical packaging where regulatory requirements limit recyclability options.
Jim Bligh, director of corporate affairs and packaging, at The Food and Drink Federation, said, “These fees provide welcome clarity for manufacturers on the costs they will be facing for the first year of EPR. At £1.4 billion a year, EPR is an expensive programme. So, it’s critical that government demonstrates to industry how the scheme will deliver value for money, improve the UK’s flatlining recycling rates, and build the circular economy that packaging producers expect.
“The UK Government beginning to set out measures to ensure that local councils only spend EPR fees on packaging recycling is a welcome step in the right direction. We look forward to seeing further detail on how this will be enforced and applied across both Scotland and Wales.”
