Packaging data: how to create your file for extended producer responsibility

If you’re an organisation that supplies packaging to consumers and businesses in the UK, you may have to take action to comply with extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging.

You may need to collect and submit data about packaging you’ve supplied through the UK market, or any filled packaging you have imported, emptied and discarded in the UK.

Find out if you need to collect and report your packaging data.

You may also have to report data about which country in the UK packaging is supplied in and which country in the UK packaging is discarded in. This is called nation data.

Find out if you need to submit nation data.

Guidance on how to submit nation data will be published separately.

When you need to take action

For organisations in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland – if you have to take action, you must start collecting the correct packaging data from 1 March 2023.

For organisations in Wales – there will be an additional option to start collecting data from the date the regulations come into force in Wales in mid-2023.

Find out how to collect your packaging data for EPR.

Large organisations need to submit data every 6 months. Small organisations submit data once a year.

Find out if you are a small or large organisation for EPR for packaging.

Large organisations: submission dates

If you’re a large organisation under EPR for packaging, you’ll need to submit your packaging data between 1 July 2023 and 1 October 2023.

This must cover the period 1 March 2023 to 30 June 2023. If you have the required data for the period 1 January 2023 to 28 February 2023, you should also include it in this submission.

For the period from 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023, you’ll need to submit your data between 1 January 2024 and 1 April 2024.

Large organisations in Wales should comply with this reporting schedule if they have the required data. If they do not have the required data, they should start collecting data from the date the regulations come into force in Wales in mid-2023 and submit it between 1 January 2024 and 1 April 2024.

Small organisations: submission dates

If you’re a small organisation under EPR for packaging, you’ll need to submit your data between 1 January 2024 and 1 April 2024.

This must cover the period 1 March 2023 to 31 December 2023. If you have the required data for the period 1 January 2023 to 28 February 2023, you should also include it in this submission.

Small organisations in Wales should comply with this reporting schedule if they have the required data. If they do not have the required data, they should start collecting data from the date the regulations come into force in Wales and submit it between 1 January 2024 and 1 April 2024.

What this guidance covers

This guidance is for:

• organisations that need to collect and submit data about packaging they’ve supplied or imported through the UK market
• compliance schemes who report packaging data for their member organisations

It explains:

• the different types of data you’ll need to submit about packaging you’ve supplied

• how to structure your data submission file

• the codes you should use in your data file

Get help

If you have any questions, email the packaging team at pEPR@defra.gov.uk.