Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, said:
“We are pleased that there has been an announcement on the long awaited Extended Producer Responsibly (EPR) consultation. This legislation will incentivise producers to design packaging that is easy to recycle and ensure that they contribute to the cost of managing their packaging once it becomes waste.
“The published government response is a definite step in the right direction, with EPR due to be implemented in a phased manner from 2024 – but with requirements for businesses to start collating data from 2023.
“However, clear inconsistencies in the approach to delivering EPR across the devolved nations raises questions. In particular, deposit return schemes operating with glass in-scope for Wales but out of scope in the other countries.
“In addition, there is a lack of clarity on how obligations will be accurately determined, specifically an absence of the definition of ‘recyclability’ and the heavy reliance of manual sampling in recycling facilities.
“Pleasingly, the government response leaves the door wide open for digital solutions that can help automate the various processes that are being proposed, particularly when it comes to reporting and sampling, and potentially digitising mandatory on-pack recycling labels.
“Polytag works with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Wales to develop solutions that provide rich insights on packaging attributes and packaging lifecycles. Integration with our platform enhances recycling operations and supports improved household recycling processes.
“Polytag’s ‘describe, tag and trace’ solutions help all stakeholders in the packaging circular economy solve challenges posed in the EPR legislation. We look forward to working with brands, retailers, local authorities, MRFs and the government to help deliver EPR that will enable us to recycle more, together.”