UK packaging EPR and recyclability assessment
Understand the role of the reporting year, complete-pack components, collection, sorting and evidence when using the UK Recyclability Assessment Methodology.
Technical guidance
Packaging technical guides
Use these guides to move from a broad packaging-material search to a documented, testable and quote-ready complete-pack specification.
Evidence-led packaging selection
Connect commercial sourcing with technical approval.
Packaging decisions span product protection, production compatibility, component fit, environmental evidence and controlled supply. The catalogue identifies products and formats; this technical section explains the questions, tests and documents needed before a buyer treats an option as approved.
Each guide is written for manufacturers, packaging managers, procurement teams and sustainability specialists. It distinguishes general selection guidance from a verified specification for a particular product. Exact material declarations, compliance documents, recycled-content percentages, stock, minimum order and lead time must be confirmed for the selected item.
- Start with the product and production requirement.
- Identify every component in the finished pack.
- Use current official guidance for the relevant UK reporting period.
- Test representative samples against written acceptance criteria.
- Retain version-controlled supplier evidence and approvals.
Compliance and evidence
UK reporting and recycled-content records
Plastic Packaging Tax and recycled-content evidence
Separate tax thresholds and product-line records from recyclability claims, and identify the evidence to request for recycled plastic content.
Material and component comparisons
Choose by functional requirements and complete-pack behaviour
PET versus HDPE bottles
Compare appearance, squeeze, barrier, temperature, compatibility, closures, labels and approval tests.
Mono-material versus laminated pouches
Compare barrier, stiffness, sealing, fitments, print and end-of-life evidence for flexible packs.
Labels, adhesives and PET bottle recycling
Control label construction, coverage, application and evidence as part of the complete PET bottle assessment.
POF versus PVC versus LDPE shrink film
Compare film families by pack duty, equipment, roll presentation, sealing and trial criteria.
Packaging barrier properties
Translate oxygen, moisture, light, aroma and chemical-protection needs into supplier data and shelf-life tests.
Approval and control
Plan the trial and retain the right documents
Packaging compatibility test plan
Define samples, conditions, test stages, acceptance criteria and change-control triggers for the finished pack.
Packaging technical document checklist
Control specifications, declarations, drawings, recycled-content evidence, artwork and supplier change notifications.
Using technical guidance
How to turn guidance into a controlled packaging decision.
The guides answer different parts of the approval process. Use them together, then confirm the exact product data and retain a signed, version-controlled pack specification.
Which guide should be used first?
Begin with the decision that is blocking the project. Use the material comparison when the format is undecided, the barrier guide when shelf-life protection is unclear, the compatibility plan when candidates exist, and the document checklist before approval. The packaging question centre organises additional selection and troubleshooting questions.
What is the difference between supplier data and an approved packaging specification?
Supplier data describes the item as supplied; an approved specification adds the buyer’s intended contents, process, closure or fitment, label, test conditions, acceptance criteria and controlled version. Supplier data is evidence for the decision, but it does not by itself prove that the finished pack is suitable for a particular product or production line.
When is a sample check insufficient?
A sample check is insufficient when risk depends on time, temperature, filled contents, distribution, repeated machine handling, seal formation or a component interaction that cannot be seen immediately. Use staged testing and record the conditions. The compatibility test plan explains how to set acceptance criteria before testing.
How should official regulatory guidance be version-controlled?
Record the source, title, publication or update date, reporting period and date accessed in the project file. Recheck the official source before a new reporting cycle or packaging change. For example, use the RAM version that applies to the relevant EPR reporting period rather than relying on a saved summary from an earlier year.
What changes should trigger packaging requalification?
Review any change to material, supplier, tooling, dimensions, neck finish, liner, adhesive, ink, coating, fitment, artwork coverage, filling conditions, machine settings or distribution route that can affect a critical requirement. The scale of retesting should follow the risk and the evidence that remains applicable, not a blanket assumption that every change is equivalent.
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