PackUK has published the latest update to the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM 2027), following extensive engagement with British Glass and consultation with industry stakeholders. The revised methodology, which will apply to reported data for 2026, and be charged as fees in 2027/8, brings several significant and welcome changes for the glass sector.
The changes better reflect the reality of how glass packaging is collected, sorted and recycled in the UK, providing greater certainty for producers and recognising the inherent recyclability of glass. The outcome is clear: all glass packaging made from soda-lime-silica glass will now achieve a green recyclability rating.
Under pEPR, packaging is assessed and assigned a red, amber or green rating based on its recyclability. These ratings are used to modulate EPR fees:
- Amber-rated packaging pays the standard fee.
- Red-rated packaging pays an increased fee, with additional fees rising over the next three years.
- Green-rated packaging benefits from the redistribution of funds collected from red-rated materials.
As a result, packaging that achieves a green rating will face lower costs while also being recognised as supporting a more circular packaging system.
The previous methodology, RAM 1.1, included several aspects that created uncertainty for glass packaging and did not always reflect real-world recycling outcomes. For example, broad terminology around “decorative glass” created confusion about which products were actually collected for recycling and non-standard glass colours were classified as amber despite being routinely recycled in the UK through existing glass recycling systems.
The glass sector consistently argued that these classifications failed to recognise the established UK recycling infrastructure for glass and the fact that glass remains fully recyclable regardless of colour.
RAM 2027 addresses these concerns.
The revised methodology now focuses on soda-lime-silica glass, clearly defining those specialist glass products that are not generally collected while recognising that standard glass packaging is widely accepted for recycling.
Crucially, the updated framework:
- Introduces a green rating for non-standard glass colours.
- Removes references that penalised certain “contaminated” glass containers.
- Better reflects the reality of how glass is collected and reprocessed in the UK.
The result is that nearly all glass packaging will now be classified as green.