EPR Regulations: A procurement managers environmentally-friendly headache!
As a manufacturer or supplier of goods involving packaging, any new legislation should immediately be on your radar, especially when it comes to the supply chains and managing production relationships, and the changes to the EPR regulation introduced at the beginning of 2023 is no different. In this blog, we will discuss what and why EPR is relevant to packaging procurement.
What does the 'EPR' regulation mean?
The ‘EPR’ regulation, which stands for Extended Producer Responsibility, has been introduced to the UK from the start of 2023. Producers of packaging now have more responsibility than ever to be transparent with their data. Specifically, businesses selling, importing, and handling packaged goods, who are defined as “producers”. If companies already have the data, Defra expected them to start reporting on it from 1 January 2023. These regulations apply across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, each governed by their respective regulations.
The introduction of EPR is part of the country’s Net-zero carbon emissions scheme, aiming to increase awareness among producers about sourcing, design, and the end-of-life treatment of packaging. Read more here.
How does EPR affect procurement?
Procurement managers have been facing the new challenges that come with being more environmentally conscious to comply with EPR, which has already been evaluated as being more expensive than the