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WHAT EXACTLY IS EPR? EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility, and it is a regulatory framework that shifts the financial and physical end-of-life responsibility from municipalities to the producers who place packaging on the market. The main objective is to recover the full costs of managing packaging waste, fund circular infrastructure and favour materials with lower environmental impacts. The EPR fee is typically calculated based on the weight of the material multiplied by a base fee, which is adjusted by eco-modulation factors such as carbon foot- print and recyclability based on environmental perfor- mance. Producers pay these fees to compliance schemes or Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), which help manage the reporting and funding obligations the programmes require. Many countries have had such systems in place for years, but the UK and several US states have recently adopted new regulations. In the UK, RAM is used to assist large packaging producers in evaluating the recyclability of household packaging.
AT THIS POINT, CUSTOMERS ARE LOOKING TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EPR. METSÄ BOARD IS ACTIVELY SHARING INFORMATION TO GET EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE.
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SO WHAT IS THE UK-BASED RAM ALL ABOUT? RAM stands for Recyclability Assessment Methodology, and it is a framework used in the UK, under EPR, to evalu- ate how easily household packaging can be recycled. This assessment classifies packaging under a “RAG” system: a Red/Amber/Green traffic light rating that deter- mines the applicable cost payable for the material. “Currently, UK consumers can be a little confused about recycling, but RAM is expected to provide clearer guidance for them,” believes Robert Bremer , Techni- cal Service Manager & Sustainability Ambassador UK & Ireland, calling RAM a “fundamental change” in the business. Producers have had to apply this methodology to household packaging placed on the market since January 2025, and the initial reporting deadline was 1 October 2025. Reporting is mandatory only for large producers or large organisations and online marketplaces, which are responsible for household packaging – typically brand owners and/or retailers. According to Bremer, the RAM system is a big opportu- nity for fibre-based packaging: With RAM in place, fibre based packaging has the potential to achieve clear wins in recyclability perfor- mance over many plastic applications.”
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