Reforming the UK packaging producer responsibility system: Partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA)

13.0 Summary and recommendation

90. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a well-established principle adopted by many countries around the world, across a broad range of products and materials. It places responsibility on producers for the cost of managing their products once they reach end of life and gives producers an incentive to design their products to make it easier for them to be re-used or dismantled and recycled at end of their life.

91. A system of producer responsibility for packaging has been in place since 1997 in the UK. This has helped to significantly increase the recycling of packaging waste and helped meet the UK's and EU's packaging waste recycling targets. However, the current system is unable to meet full net packaging disposal costs and a reformed system is required.

92. Along with the other UK Administrations, the Scottish Government is proceeding on the basis of Option 2 (see section 4 above) and laying these two instruments will support effective delivery of this option.