The Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) is calling on sector businesses to contact their local MPs to highlight concerns about how the UK’s Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme is operating in practice.
The call to action was issued in the association’s latest Friday FPA Digest, alongside a suite of resources designed to support engagement with policymakers.
These materials, including a template letter to MPs, a briefing document and guidance on how to engage, are now available via the homepage of the FPA website (https://foodservicepackaging.org.uk).
The FPA says the move reflects a growing need to ensure MPs understand the real-world impact of EPR on businesses in their constituencies – particularly across manufacturing, distribution and wholesale, foodservice supply chains, and logistics and warehousing.
The association has raised concerns that, where there is limited visibility over the full population of obligated producers, compliant businesses may face increasing cost pressure compared to competitors, including in areas where supply chains are harder to verify.
Recent media coverage has also highlighted the issue, pointing to questions around system visibility and market dynamics.
“We support the objectives of Packaging EPR, but it is essential that the system operates fairly in practice”, says Mike Revell, executive chair of the FPA.
“We are encouraging members to engage with their MPs because this is not just a policy issue. It’s about the impact on businesses, jobs and investment in local constituencies.
“The resources we’ve published are designed to make that engagement as straightforward and effective as possible”.
The FPA has previously written to Defra, PackUK and the Environment Agency outlining its concerns and setting out practical recommendations and is committed to supporting ongoing dialogue between industry and policymakers.
