British Glass, the representative body for the UK’s glass industry, has raised concerns about the potential negative impact of the new packaging extended producer responsibility (pEPR) scheme.
The scheme, approved by the country’s parliament, transfers the responsibility for collection and sorting costs from local authorities to producers.
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This change imposes higher levies on heavier containers such as glass, potentially increasing costs for products in glass bottles and jars by more than 10p (50¢).
Under the new scheme, glass fees for beverage packaging will reportedly be approximately 49 times higher than those for other materials.
This disparity may force brands to reconsider the use of recyclable glass products, potentially leading to a shift towards less recyclable materials; the opposite effect of what was intended.
British Glass warns that this move could result in job losses within a domestic sector employing 120,000 people.
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By GlobalDataScheduled for implementation in April 2025, the packaging tax is expected to raise the prices of many items.
British Glass chief executive Dave Dalton said: “The government has failed to listen to concerns from producers and trade bodies and is ploughing on with this ill-thought-out scheme which is a hammer blow to the glass sector and British manufacturing.
“British Glass supports the principle of pEPR and that packaging waste collection and recycling needs to be reformed to deliver a circular economy for the UK.
“However, this scheme will have a profound impact on competitiveness against other packaging formats – leading to job losses predominantly in the UK’s manufacturing heartlands.”
British Glass cautions that this could inadvertently lead to an increase in disposable plastic usage.
The trade body, along with several large food and drink producers, had previously expressed concerns to Members of Parliament and ministers regarding the potentially negative impact of the pEPR policy.
Price changes under the new scheme could see a 330ml glass beer bottle incur a pEPR fee of roughly 5p.
