British Glass has warned that while it acknowledges the partial reduction in the glass packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) fee announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the changes do not go far enough to ensure producers choose recyclable glass over less circular alternatives.
British Glass Director, Nick Kirk, said, “This small reduction in the base fees does very little to ease the industry’s concerns around the disparity in unit costs between competing packaging formats. The fees still favour lighter, less recyclable packaging.”
Since the first illustration of pEPR fees in August 2024, British Glass has consistently raised concerns, backed by evidence, that the per-tonne fee assigned to glass was disproportionately high compared with less-circular materials. Despite glass making up only 5 percent of collected packaging by volume, it will bare around one-third of total pEPR costs. This means the per-unit impact on glass – which is how brands and retailers buy products – is estimated to be 3 to 5 times higher than competing materials. Meanwhile, competing beverage packaging will face no pEPR costs due to its inclusion in a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) until late 2027.
Nick Kirk commented further, “This small reduction in the glass fees is disappointing. To some degree, DEFRA has listened to our concerns, but brands and retailers will inevitably look to switch materials to reduce pEPR costs. The sector has already provided DEFRA with evidence of this. Measures like future recyclability-based fee modulation and Packaging Recovery Note reforms will come too late or do too little to fix the high pEPR fees on glass.
“The system favours lighter packaging over truly recyclable options like glass. Glass should be central to the UK’s circular economy, but pEPR risks killing off the UK glass industry before that vision can become a reality.
“We are ready to work with government on meaningful solutions, including a glass reuse scheme, but there must be a strong domestic glass sector in place to deliver it.”