Packaging Regulations

Introduction

The main Regulations affecting UK companies who handle packaging are the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 plus Amendments.

These Regulations place an obligation on individual, or groups of, companies within the UK to calculate the amount of packaging they handle and offset the cost of recycling this material in the UK waste stream. In spite of the title of the Regulations your obligations are not affected by the way you dispose of your waste.

In order to be obligated the UK Company, or group of companies collectively, must have a turnover above £2million and handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging per year. In practise this may include packaging received around goods as well as packaging purchased to add to goods.

To print off the weights of the packaging you have purchased online click here to log into My Account.
Branch customers click here to contact your branch

Kite Environmental Solutions

Kite Environmental Solutions is a Government-Approved Compliance Scheme for the Packaging Regulations. Our role is to take on our members' obligations under the Regulations; submitting your packaging data to the Environment Agency, and providing the evidence required to offset your obligations. Due to the complex and confusing nature of these Regulations over 90% of companies choose to register through a Compliance Scheme.

KES offers a bespoke service to enable you to register with the Environment Agency. Our support covers you through the entire registration process. From interpreting how the Regulations affect your business, identifying the information you need to capture, developing a system to assess this obligation, producing a 'packaging data request' tailored to your specific needs and calculating the packaging weights you need to declare in each of your packaging streams.

Through on-site support, our partnership approach and in-depth knowledge of the Regulations we can ensure that your business meets and exceeds the Environment Agency's data accuracy requirements and put you in the best position to pass their compliance audits.

Our aim is to reduce your risks associated with these Regulations and ensure you maintain your compliance in the most efficient and realistic manner possible.

Visit the KES website to find out more >>

Essential Requirements

The Packaging Essential Requirements Regulations affect all companies who purchase packaging to add to their goods. Designed to ensure that the packaging used is fit-for-purpose they can result in the prosecution of companies who use an excessive amount of packaging around their goods.

Kite Packaging can perform a review of the packaging you are using within your business to ensure that it provides sufficient protection, without requiring the use of large amounts of unnecessary packaging. In addition they can look at your storage capabilities, packaging processes, transport systems and your customer's requirements for the goods to ensure that the packaging we recommend for your use is the most efficient and best value solution for yourselves and your goods through their onward supply chain.

Heavy Metals

Under the Heavy Metal directive companies are required to meet minimum requirements for the levels of lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium present in their packaging products. Kite only works with suppliers who comply with this requirement. Our statement of conformity is available on request.

'Enviro' Products

Our Envirobox was developed in conjunction with WRAP. Our challenge was to come up with a single wall carton as strong and robust as a double wall carton. Following a six month trial with selected Kite customers our design won WRAPs seal of approval.

Not content with just our envirobox we have subsequently developed a range of products which provide significant benefits to the environment over and above their standard packaging alternatives. This includes our Envirofill, Envirostretch, Envirotape, and Earth Aware Jiffy Padded Bags.

Green Terminology

With the increasing emphasis being put on sustainable business practices and environmentally friendly products and the resulting avalanche of 'green-wash' we thought a brief guide on some green terminology encountered in the Packaging industry might prove helpful.
Packaging and the Environment (pdf)