Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the extended producer responsibility regulations on the costs of (a) reporting, (b) compliance and (c) other matters for (i) smaller and (ii) all breweries using (A) bottles and (B) cans.

A full impact assessment of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 is available. Impact on wider producers is covered in Section 8 of that impact assessment. Around 70% of producers, including many smaller breweries, are exempt from paying Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees due to thresholds of £2 million turnover and 50 tonnes of packaging. Businesses with turnover over £1 million and placing more than 25 tonnes of packaging must still collect and report packaging data. Where larger producers supply empty packaging to exempt smaller breweries, the larger producer is responsible for the associated fees.

Final fees for glass bottles were set at £192 per tonne in June 2025, down from the earlier illustrative rate of £240. Aluminium and steel cans are charged at different rates depending on material type. Fees are calculated per tonne and reflect local authority waste management costs, apportioned by weight and volume. From 2026–2027, fees will be modulated based on recyclability, with less recyclable packaging incurring higher charges, assessed using the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM).