PackUK and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance setting out the methodology and procedure for calculating extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging payments to local authorities for 2026–27 (year 2). The guidance explains how anticipated payments set out in notice of assessment letters issued between November 2025 and January 2026 are calculated using the local authority packaging cost and performance model (LAPCAP), including scope of payments, cost allocation, inflation adjustments, and complaints and appeals. It confirms a 1.93% inflation uplift and a Wales‑only supplementary adjustment to reflect statutory municipal recycling targets, with all other elements remaining unchanged from year one.

PackUK has published a collection of four key documents related to the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme. These comprise the base fees for the pEPR’s first year (2025–26), published ahead of invoices being issued to producers in October 2025, and a Fee Modulation Policy Statement, which sets out PackUK’s approach to modulating pEPR household packaging waste disposal fees from 2026 to 2029, based on recyclability as a measure of environmental sustainability. The collection also includes a Regulatory Position Statement, outlining the temporary regulatory approach to H1 2025 recyclability assessments for packaging producers. It clarifies how PackUK will assess compliance where H1 data is not submitted and how H2 data may be used instead. The statement also explains how this will affect modulated fees for the 2026–27 period. In addition, PackUK has published an interim strategy, setting out plans for scheme administration through to March 2026. A complete, long-term strategy is expected later in 2025 and will cover: (1) long-term governance structures and arrangements; (2) anticipated developments to UK-wide policy objectives; and (3) the planned appointment of a Producer Responsibility Organisation by March 2026.

PackUK, the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) Scheme Administrator, has published guidance to assist producers in preparing for the scheme’s first invoicing period. The guidance states that obligated producers will receive their first invoices in October 2025, covering the assessment year from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, based on submitted 2024 packaging data. Payments must be made in full within 50 days from the date of the issuance of the invoice or through a four-instalment plan, with late payments incurring variable penalties: either 20% of unpaid disposal and administration fees, 5% of UK turnover for single organisations or 2% of turnover for groups. The guidance also details how to access invoices through the Report Packaging Data system, available payment options, fee structures, cost breakdowns—including scheme administration, public information disposal and impairment provisions for bad debt—as well as procedures for fee disputes and recalculations.

PackUK has published a letter detailing key policy updates on the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme. The letter addresses six main areas: dual-use, packaging definitions, packaging reuse, producer responsibility organisation, recyclability assessments, domestic re-processor competition, and local authority effectiveness. The publication aims to ensure that all stakeholders are kept informed of the latest developments in the implementation of the pEPR scheme.

PackUK has published version 1.1 of the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM), following industry feedback on version 1, which was published on 23 December 2024. The updated RAM, developed during a simplification sprint in February 2025, enables large packaging producers to assess the recyclability of their household packaging using a three-tiered red, amber, green rating system. This rating will determine the level of fee modulation payable for that material from the second year of the pEPR scheme. Large producers are required to apply the updated methodology for household packaging placed on the market from 1 January 2025, with the first reporting deadline set for 1 October 2025. The Environment Agency (EA) has also published version 6 of the EPR Regulators’ Agreed Positions and Technical Interpretations. This document sets out the joint interpretations and agreed positions of the EA, Natural Resources Wales, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, in relation to the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1332.

NOTE: the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/455 come into force on 6 April 2027 and do not apply to any package travel contract or linked travel arrangement which were entered into before that date. The regulations add a further category to the definition of 'package' where travel services are provided to a traveller under separate contracts with individual service providers, if a single trader has facilitated, on the occasion of a single visit to, or contact with, the trader's point of sale, the separate selection of and separate payment for each of the travel services by the traveller. Regulation 2 revokes references to 'linked travel arrangements' from the 2018 Regulations. Background to the Package Travel Regulations Packages sold from 1 July 2018 are governed by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (2018 Package Travel Regs), SI 2018/634. This legislation implemented the Directive (EU) 2015/2302 (Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Directive). The 2018 Package Travel Regs continues in force after the Brexit transition or implementation

STOP PRESS: Directive (EU) 2026/1024 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2026 amending Directive (EU) 2015/2302 to make the protection of travellers more effective and to simplify and clarify certain aspects of that Directive was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 8 May 2026. Directive (EU) 2015/2302 (the EU Package Travel Directive) sets out rules on package travel contracts, including traveller information requirements, cancellation rights, refunds, liability for performance of travel services and insolvency protection. The new Directive amends the EU Package Travel Directive to strengthen traveller protection, simplify the legal framework and address issues identified since its application began, including issues relating to cancellations, refunds, vouchers and insolvency protection highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. See: LNB News 11/05/2026 27. This Practice Note will be updated shortly to reflect the changes introduced by the new Directive. This Practice Note provides guidance on Directive (EU) 2015/2302 on package travel and linked

Key UK legislation Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, SI 2018/634 (the Package Travel Regulations) are the UK’s primary legal framework for regulating package holidays and linked travel arrangements. They aim to provide clear and consistent rights and obligations for both consumers and traders, encourage transparency, and ensure that consumers have access to remedies such as refunds, compensation, and assistance, in the case of non-performance or disruption. For background information on the Package Travel Regulations, see Practice Note: Package holiday claims—Background to the Package Travel Regulations. The Package Travel Regulations were introduced to implement Directive (EU) 2015/2302 (the ‘EU Package Travel Directive’ or ‘EU PTD’) and, following the Brexit implementation period (11 pm on 31 December 2020), the European Union (Withdrawal Act) 2018 preserved the Package Travel Regulations within UK law as retained EU law (REUL), as further amended by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018, SI 2018/1367, which addressed various deficiencies arising as a result

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is no longer maintained. This timeline outlines both the regulatory efforts before the legislative proposal for the regulation was adopted and the subsequent developments in relation to Regulation 1286/2014/EU on Key Information Documents (KIDs) for packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs) (EU PRIIPs Regulation) and the onshored UK version of this regulation (Retained Regulation 1286/2014/EU, UK PRIIPs Regulation). The EU and UK PRIIPs Regulations create uniform rules for the format and content of the KIDs to be drawn up by PRIIPs manufacturers, and for the provision of KIDs to retail investors in order to enable them to understand the main features and risks of PRIIPs. A complex framework of regulation has been developed in order to address the risks, gaps, inconsistencies in ensuring investors protection and trust in packaged retail investment products. The European Commission's (the Commission) work on packaged investment products has its roots in a request by The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) in May 2007 for the Commission to

This is a term used to describe the following regulated investments: long term insurance contracts, units or shares in regulated collective investment schemes or an investment trust savings scheme or a stakeholder pension scheme

AIFs made available to retail clients in the EU are subject to the PRIIP regulation (EU) 1286/2014 and, as such, need to provide a standardised pre-investment Key Information Document (KID) to retail investors. UCITS are exempted from these requirements until 31 December 2021 but until then are subject to the UCITS key investor information document (KIID) requirements under the UCITS Directives as implemented.

Fuel packaging: A special way of processing spent fuel for temporary storage or final disposal. Waste packaging: An operation whereby waste is converted into a form suitable for transportation and/or storage and/or final disposal. (a) Very low-level radioactive waste (vinyl, cleaning rags, etc.) is placed in steel drums. (b) Low- and intermediate-level waste is first compacted to reduce its volume as far as possible, then encapsulated in a special material (concrete, bitumen or resin matrix) to form solid blocks capable of withstanding all environmental conditions. (c) High-level waste is placed in a glass mixture (vitrification process). Once vitrified, the waste is placed in stainless steel canisters.