Skip to main content

United Kingdom EPR do I have to register

Last verified

Under the rules we hold, United Kingdom has a packaging EPR obligation, and the producer is the brand owner, packer or shipper, importer, online marketplace, or seller. The size limit on record is 25 tonnes, so small producers may fall below it. The answer depends first on whose brand is on the packaging.

Decision card for the United Kingdom packaging EPR check: who the producer is, which limits apply and what each result means.Obligation checker: Do I owe packaging EPR in United Kingdom?. 50 rule fields with a source 3 size limits on record 8 cases worked throughObligation checkerDo I owe packaging EPR in United Kingdom?50 rule fields with a source3 size limits on record8 cases worked through
Source: United Kingdom rules in the Instica data set, last reviewed November 4, 2026

Check your own case

Choose your role, add your revenue and the packaging you supply, and the checker applies the rules this page describes to your figures. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Revenue
Packaging materials
Packaging levels
Whose brand is on the products

Preliminary. This is what the encoded rules indicate for your answers, not legal advice. You check it, then sign and submit yourself.

My packaging EPR check

The Instica free plan covers the threshold check, exemption tracking, the deadline calendar, packaging templates and fee sources, so you can start without paying. See what the free plan includes

How the checker reaches a result

The checker asks the same questions in the same order for every place, and it stops with a result as soon as a question settles the matter. It never fills a missing answer in for you.

  1. Whose brand is on the packaging? If it is another company's brand, you are not the producer for those goods under the roles recorded for United Kingdom. If you have not said, the checker asks first.
  2. Do you sell into United Kingdom? A place where you report no sales returns not obligated.
  3. Does a size limit apply? The checker compares your revenue or packaging weight with each limit on record and, where a limit is not met, returns below threshold.
  4. Is an exemption on record for your case? An exemption that is not yet verified is never assumed, and the checker asks for more data instead.
  5. Are related companies counted together? Where the rules add up affiliated companies, their figures are combined before the limits are compared.

Who is the producer in United Kingdom?

The first question is whose duty it is. United Kingdom assigns the duty by packaging level, and the table shows which roles count as the producer at each level.

Producer by packaging level in United Kingdom
Packaging levelProducer
other packagingmanufacturer, importer, or online marketplace
primary (sales) packagingbrand owner, packer or shipper, importer, online marketplace, or seller
secondary packagingbrand owner, packer or shipper, importer, online marketplace, or seller
service packagingbrand owner, packer or shipper, manufacturer, importer, or seller
shipping packagingbrand owner, packer or shipper, importer, online marketplace, or seller
tertiary (transport) packagingbrand owner, packer or shipper, importer, online marketplace, or seller

Find the row that describes you. Where more than one role appears in a row, the checker asks whose brand is on the product before it gives a result.

Does revenue matter in United Kingdom?

Where a revenue limit applies, United Kingdom counts worldwide revenue. The revenue figure is taken over the previous accounting year. Limits are stated in GBP; a figure in another currency is converted with a published rate before it is compared.

Affiliated companies are counted together, so the revenue and tonnage of related companies add up before the limits are applied. The rules define an affiliate as follows: A holding company sums packaging weight and worldwide turnover across the group companies established in the UK that supply or import packaging. The group result applies to every member.

Size limits in United Kingdom

Some rules switch the duty on or off by size. These are the limits on record for United Kingdom, each with what happens when you meet it.

The tonnage limit: 25 tonnes

United Kingdom: the tonnage limit is 25 tonnes. United Kingdom: at the tonnage limit of 25 tonnes, registration is triggered. United Kingdom: the tonnage limit of 25 tonnes applies to figures above it. United Kingdom: the tonnage limit is counted as follows: packaging supplied or imported in the UK in the previous calendar year.

Original wording

you supplied or imported more than 25 tonnes of packaging in the UK in the previous year
Paraphrase: The source sets the tonnage limit at 25 tonnes.

Source: gov.uk: check if you must comply with epr for packaging 2

The revenue limit: £1,000,000

United Kingdom: the revenue limit is £1,000,000. United Kingdom: at the revenue limit of £1,000,000, registration is triggered. United Kingdom: the revenue limit of £1,000,000 applies to figures at or above it. United Kingdom: the revenue limit is counted as follows: worldwide annual turnover.

Original wording

your annual turnover worldwide was £1 million or more
Paraphrase: The source sets the revenue limit at £1,000,000.

Source: gov.uk: check if you must comply with epr for packaging 2

The tonnage limit: 50 tonnes

United Kingdom: the tonnage limit is 50 tonnes. United Kingdom: at the tonnage limit of 50 tonnes, a reduced duty applies. United Kingdom: the tonnage limit of 50 tonnes applies to figures at or below it. United Kingdom: the tonnage limit is counted as follows: with turnover above 1 million and up to 2 million pounds, an obligated producer is small; above 50 tonnes with turnover over 2 million pounds is large.

Exemptions in United Kingdom

An exemption removes the duty for a producer that meets its conditions. Some must be applied for; others apply on their own.

Exemption 1

Exemption 1: Charities that supply or import filled or unfilled packaging in the UK, excluding subsidiaries that trade for profit. United Kingdom: exemption 1 applies without an application.

What the rules cover in United Kingdom

A duty applies only to the packaging and the sales channels that the rules cover. This is what is on record for United Kingdom.

United Kingdom: the rules cover these sales channels: retail, wholesale, online sales, and online marketplaces. United Kingdom: a producer may not pass the duty to another party.

Every case, worked through

Below, the same engine that powers the checker is run on a set of standard cases for United Kingdom. Each case states the input, the result and the next step. The figures are test inputs set at half, equal to and twice each recorded limit, read as of November 4, 2026; they are not rules.

Packaging of 12.5 tonnes: below the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and you supply 12.5 tonnes of packaging, half the limit of 25 tonnes. The figure is under the 25 tonnes trigger, so the engine returns below threshold: the duty has not been triggered at this level. Result: below threshold. Next: keep the figures that put you below the limit, and check again as you grow.

Packaging of 50 tonnes: above the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and you supply 50 tonnes of packaging, twice the limit of 25 tonnes. The rules for United Kingdom set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Revenue of £500,000: below the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and your revenue is £500,000, half the limit of £1,000,000. The figure is under the £1,000,000 trigger, so the engine returns below threshold: the duty has not been triggered at this level. Result: below threshold. Next: keep the figures that put you below the limit, and check again as you grow.

Revenue of £1,000,000: exactly at the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and your revenue is £1,000,000, exactly the limit of £1,000,000. The rules for United Kingdom set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Revenue of £2,000,000: above the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and your revenue is £2,000,000, twice the limit of £1,000,000. The rules for United Kingdom set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Packaging of 25 tonnes: below the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and you supply 25 tonnes of packaging, half the limit of 50 tonnes. The figure is under the 50 tonnes trigger, so the engine returns below threshold: the duty has not been triggered at this level. Result: below threshold. Next: keep the figures that put you below the limit, and check again as you grow.

Packaging of 100 tonnes: above the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and you supply 100 tonnes of packaging, twice the limit of 50 tonnes. The rules for United Kingdom set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Above every limit

Your own brand is on the goods and every figure is above every limit on record. The limit is met, so the engine returns obligated. Result: obligated. Next: register, report and pay as the sections below describe, and prepare your figures in a workspace.

If you owe: what happens next

If the result is obligated, these are the steps on record for United Kingdom. You register, report and pay yourself; Instica prepares the figures and the files.

United Kingdom: registration is made with Report packaging data (RPD) service, run by Defra and the regulators. United Kingdom: registration is made by this party: The producer directly, or a compliance scheme on its behalf. An approved person (director, company secretary, partner or LLP member) creates the account and the regulators approve it. United Kingdom: registration renewal: Every year: large producers by 1 October, small producers by 1 April. United Kingdom: the registration identifier is called: organisation_id (6 digits). United Kingdom: the registration fee: Small producer registering for the 2027 reporting year: 1,303 GBP direct or 696 GBP through a compliance scheme. Large producer fees not read.

United Kingdom: producers meet the duty through registered schemes that producers join. United Kingdom: membership of an organisation is not required. United Kingdom: an authorised representative is not required.

Deadlines on record

Frequently asked questions

Do I owe packaging EPR in United Kingdom?

Under the rules we hold, United Kingdom has a packaging EPR obligation, and the producer is the brand owner, packer or shipper, importer, online marketplace, or seller. The size limit on record is 25 tonnes, so small producers may fall below it. The answer depends first on whose brand is on the packaging.

Who is the producer in United Kingdom?

At the primary packaging level the producer is the brand owner, packer or shipper, importer, online marketplace, or seller. The table above lists the other levels.

Is there a size limit in United Kingdom?

Yes. The limit on record is 25 tonnes; below it the rules treat you differently, as the cases above show.

Do I have to join a producer responsibility organisation in United Kingdom?

Membership of an organisation is not required under the rules we hold.

Will Instica register or file for me in United Kingdom?

No. Instica measures, estimates and prepares your figures and files. You register, sign and submit each filing yourself, and Instica never stores portal credentials.

How to read these figures

Every figure in the app carries a data-quality label: measured, supplier, estimated or declared. How we measure and label figures. This page is information, not legal advice.

Our reviewers.

Sources

  1. gov.uk: check if you must comply with epr for packaging 2 retrieved
    Original wording: you supplied or imported more than 25 tonnes of packaging in the UK in the previous year
    Original wording: you must get your annual turnover from the last accounts that were available before 7 April 2026.
    Original wording: If these totals meet the criteria for a large producer, then each member of the group is a large producer
    Original wording: your annual turnover worldwide was £1 million or more
    Original wording: Charities that supply or import filled or unfilled packaging in the UK are exempt from EPR for packaging requirements.
  2. legislation.gov.uk: 1 retrieved
    Original wording: a brand owner; (ii) a packer/filler; (iii) an importer or first UK owner; (iv) a distributor; (v) an online marketplace operator;
  3. gov.uk: epr for packaging what you must do as a small producer retrieved
    Original wording: annual turnover of more than £1 million and supplies more than 25 tonnes and no more than 50 tonnes of packaging
    Original wording: the fee is: £1,303 if you register directly with your environmental regulator £696 if you register through a compliance scheme
    Original wording: Compliance schemes are third parties that help organisations meet the EPR for packaging requirements.
  4. gov.uk (how to comply with packaging recycling obligations as a large producer) retrieved
    Original wording: A compliance scheme cannot pay your waste disposal fees for you.
    Original wording: you must meet your recycling obligations, including submitting your certificate or statement of compliance, by 31 January 2027
  5. gov.uk (packaging data check reporting periods and submission deadlines) retrieved
    Original wording: 1 January to 30 June 2026 1 October 2026
    Original wording: 1 July to 31 December 2026 1 April 2027
    Original wording: 1 January to 31 December 2026 1 April 2027
    Original wording: you must register for EPR for packaging each year, and pay the applicable fees by 1 October.
    Original wording: you must register for EPR for packaging each year, and pay a registration fee by 1 April.