Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging consultation - Which? response

Summary

Which? welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation on Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging. We have been calling for the introduction of mandatory recycling labelling since 2018, and believe this will be crucial in helping consumers to recycle more, and more correctly.

• Our evidence shows that consumers currently find the multitude of recycling labels confusing, and that many consumers aren’t confident they are disposing of their recyclable packaging correctly.
• We recommend Option 2, a single labelling scheme, as our preferred approach to implementing mandatory labelling, which we believe will be most effective in providing consumers with clear and helpful information.
• Any label(s), including any enhancements, should be subject to consumer testing to make sure they are clear and easy to understand.
• Any scheme that is considered for designation as the single labelling scheme should have either an existing high level of consumer recognition and understanding, or be able to demonstrate the capacity to build this.
• We agree that all producers could be required to use the same 'do not recycle' label, as our evidence suggests that consumers tend to prefer a common scheme.
• We welcome the Government’s intention to make recycling plastic film easier for consumers.