Obligated Producer
A business that meets the legal thresholds for packaging tonnage and turnover, making it legally required to comply with EPR for packaging obligations including registration, reporting, and fee payments.
An obligated producer is any business that handles more than 25 tonnes of packaging annually and has a turnover exceeding £1 million. These thresholds determine whether a company must comply with EPR for packaging regulations.
There are several categories of obligated producer under the regulations:
- Brand owner — owns the brand under which goods are packaged
- Packer/filler — physically packs or fills packaging with goods
- Importer — imports packaged goods into the UK
- Distributor — supplies packaging or packaged goods to others
- Online marketplace — facilitates the sale of packaged goods from overseas sellers
- Seller — sells goods to the end consumer
Obligated producers are further classified as large producers (over 50 tonnes) or small producers (25–50 tonnes), with different reporting requirements. All must register with a compliance scheme or comply directly. See our producer obligation checker.
Related Terms
Large Producer
A business handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging per year with turnover abov...
Small Producer
A business handling between 25 and 50 tonnes of packaging annually with turnover...
Brand Owner
A producer category under EPR referring to the business whose brand appears on p...
Packer/Filler
A producer that physically places goods into packaging. Under EPR, packers and f...
Importer
A business that brings packaged goods or empty packaging into the UK from abroad...
Compliance Scheme
An approved organisation that manages EPR obligations on behalf of obligated pro...
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