New UK packaging regulations are making plastic more expensive for the brands that rely on it. Sustainable retailer re:gn has spent years establishing a portfolio of products designed to avoid that cost entirely.
The UK's laundry sector alone generates an estimated 10,791 tonnes of plastic packaging waste each year, with around 109 million plastic packs sold. From 1 April 2026, that waste will carry a much higher price tag for the brands that produce it.
The UK Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) rises to £228.82 per tonne for plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled content. Alongside this, the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme introduces fee modulation from the 2026/27 financial year, shifting from a flat-rate system to one based on how recyclable packaging actually is. Products that dominate the laundry and cleaning aisle, including multilayer film pouches, coloured HDPE bottles and plastic pod tubs, are expected to attract the highest charges.
Brands that have relied on plastic packaging are now looking at a combined regulatory exposure of over £651 per tonne, before any modulation uplifts are applied. re:gn's laundry sheets, plus Simple Living Eco range and the Ocean Saver cleaning refills it stocks, are all plastic-free, so carry none of that cost. The products were designed that way from the outset, not retrofitted to meet a regulation.
Commenting on the issue, Craig Larkin, Managing Director at re:gn, said: “Bigger brands can’t tweak their way out of this one. Switching to recycled plastic still means a plastic bottle on the shelf and a bigger bill on their balance sheet. We’ve kept our laundry sheets plastic-free from day one. The regulations have simply caught up with what we already knew was the right thing to do.”
He also believes this regulatory shift matters beyond the numbers: “As costs are passed on to consumers, the gap between plastic-heavy and plastic-free products on the shelf will start to shrink in ways that make the sustainable choice the easier one.”
For more information about re:gn and its range of plastic-free laundry sheets, visit www.regn.co.uk.