— By Plasteurope.com correspondent — 

UK recycling organisation Recoup (Peterborough; www.recoup.org) has warned packaging producers they will face serious compliance costs and, potentially, damage to their sustainability credentials if they don’t adhere to recyclability standards.

Recoup said the publication of its latest annual Recyclability by Design (RBD) report “came at a critical time for packaging recyclability, with the impending increase of compliance costs associated with extended producer responsibility (EPR)”.

The report said businesses adopting its guidelines at the start of the design phase “will ensure unnecessary difficulties are avoided and hence unwanted project delays and associated on-costs prevented”. 

Good design from the outset was crucial, Recoup’s report argued. “Adoption of good eco-design practice should not result in an on-cost provided that these aspects are considered along with the many other business factors at the start of the design process. 

“Conversely, if environmental considerations are only factored in at the end of the design process, then any changes necessary are likely to be costly in terms of both money and project delays.”

Related: UK government spells out how EPR fees could work

Recoup said several countries across Europe sought to reward packaging that met specific design rules and could penalise those that didn’t. “Compliance with these guidelines will help ensure that [companies] obtain any benefits and avoid potential penalties in this area,” it added. 

Paul East, Recoup’s head of packaging recycling and design, said his organisation’s latest RBD report was a reminder of the importance of designing for recycling and for marketing and brand recognition. 

“By using the recommendations within RBD, you will be ensuring that your plastic packaging is given the best chance to be recycled in line with upcoming legislation.”

The introduction of the EPR fee system, originally set for this year, was deferred until 2025 by the previous Conservative-led administration.

Announcing the delay in August 2023, the government at the time stated it would use the additional year “to continue to discuss the scheme’s design with industry and reduce the costs of implementation wherever possible”.

Related: Year-Ender: Plastics Industry UK