Packaging tax bosses have brought forward the deadline for manufacturers to submit amended extended producer responsibility data by two months, triggering a “mad scramble” to meet it.
The scheme administrator PackUK had already brought forward the deadline to 1 November and has now moved it again, to 1 September, following discussions with ministers.
It comes after the Treasury was forced to bail out the system in 2025, the scheme’s first year, due to a massive shortfall in the tax funds raised.
Under the new deadline, any data submitted after 1 September will be discounted from the EPR Notices of Liability or disposal fees.
The two-month shift in the deadline has caused “a clamour if not panic”, according to one industry source.
They told The Grocer: “This is a clear signal of direction that they believe November is not enough time for them and that companies should get their packaging data in order much earlier and that they want to tighten the net.”
It also confirmed that regulators at the Environment Agency would continue to undertake compliance monitoring for after September. Sources said that this meant that while EPR fees wouldn’t be changed after that date, their liabilities could.
“It will add to the concerns that producers have over the EPR system, which has emerged as the biggest regulatory burden they say they are facing.
“It’s understandable that PackUK wants to get this data in as early as possible, it is not an ideal situation.”
The Grocer understands that after last year, in which producers challenged their EPR fees in far greater numbers than expected and resubmitted data, there have been far fewer inquiries with compliance schemes this year.
A statement from to producers said: “As communicated earlier this year, is taking steps to improve data stability and reduce in-year fee variability so businesses can plan with greater confidence, whilst ensuring local authorities have certainty around their payments.
“In future, this may include bringing further forward the deadline for producer data resubmissions This is part of a clear direction of travel to provide clarity on fees as early in the year as possible.
It added: “The most important action producers can take right now is to resubmit their 2025 packaging data by 1 September 2026 if corrections are needed. If producers report through compliance schemes, we advise they contact them to confirm what they need to provide and by when. After 1 September, any further producer data resubmissions will not affect notices of liability or disposal fees.”
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