UK Packaging EPR · 2026–27 planning

Prepare for your first modulated EPR invoice. Do you know the exposure?

The October 2025 Notices of Liability were calculated on flat base fees. The 2026–27 producer-fee table has not yet been confirmed in the official sources checked. This desk turns that uncertainty into a disciplined data and forecasting plan your finance team and board can use.

Estimate my exposure — free, 60 seconds
£423 / tonne2025–26 base fee on plastic packaging (GOV.UK confirmed)
2026–27Modulated disposal-fee position to be confirmed by the published fee table
Written firstBoard-ready estimate before you commit to a full forecast

Independent forecast desk: no packaging to sell, no compliance-scheme membership to recruit, and no software subscription behind the calculator. The paid output is the forecast itself.

No packaging salesNo scheme commissionNo software upsell

Pro-forma Exposure Estimate

REF: PEPR/EST/ · DISPOSAL FEES ONLY

Annual household packaging placed on market

Tonnes per material, to the nearest whole tonne. Rough figures are fine — this is a triage, not a return.

DRS exclusion note: drinks containers expected to fall within the UK Deposit Return Scheme from the 2027 launch should not be included in this disposal-fee triage where they leave the EPR disposal-fee scope.

Your estimate will appear here, set out like the invoice you will actually receive.

This triage uses PackUK's confirmed 2025-26 base fees (GOV.UK, June 2025) as a reference point only. No confirmed 2026-27 producer-fee table has been published in the official sources checked, so the calculator does not predict a 2026-27 invoice or apply assumed modulation rates. Excludes DRS-scope drinks containers, PRN/PERN costs, regulator registration and compliance-scheme charges. This is an indicative economic estimate, not a statutory calculation, invoice prediction, legal, tax or regulated financial advice.
If the estimate is material

What the £295 + VAT Snapshot gives you

A two-page written review within 48 hours of receiving your figures, credited in full against the full Forecast if commissioned within 30 days.

  • Likely disposal-fee liability range
  • Material-level red / amber / green risk flags
  • Data gaps that could distort the number
  • Three figures the 2026-27 budget should hold
How this differs from free calculators

Free calculators are usually attached to something else being sold.

Scheme & SaaS calculators

  • Useful instant number for a first pass
  • Often tied to membership or subscription conversion
  • Limited view of budget phasing and board exposure
  • Output rarely explains what to do with the number

Packaging-maker calculators

  • Good at showing material comparisons
  • Commercially exposed when the answer is "switch material"
  • May optimise packaging choice before cash-flow risk
  • Not written as financial analysis for leadership discussion

This desk's forecast

  • Independent analysis with no product to upsell
  • Red / amber / green stress-testing per material
  • Quarterly cash-flow phasing for budget owners
  • Written analysis for leadership and advisers
Sample forecast

See exactly what the full forecast delivers before you pay.

The sample is a clearly labelled worked example. It shows the structure of the paid forecast: executive summary, modulation exposure, cash-flow phasing, and the first decisions to take when the confirmed producer-fee table is published.

Worked example

Statutory Liability Forecast

Illustrative food business group, not a client result.

Executive summary

Exposure bridge

Interior pages

Material risk, invoice phasing, decision points

Download the full sample forecast - free

Leave an email to unlock the sample and the same breakdown from the calculator. One capture, two payoffs: your number and the shape of the paid analysis.

  • Shows what the 18-page forecast contains.
  • Clearly marked as an illustrative worked example.
  • Built so the file can be swapped when a real anonymised report is approved.

Submitting this form uses the existing lead endpoint and does not change the database schema.

Current proof

Current rules, defensible data, and no pressure to buy anything else.

Illustrative recovery-review example

£84k → £37k

A drinks-producer scenario originally modelled at about £84k can fall materially once exports, reusable/B2B packaging and DRS-scope units are separated correctly. This is an illustrative worked example only: results vary and no saving is promised before your data is reviewed.

  • Looks for over-declaration risk in filed or draft returns.
  • Separates household, non-household, export and DRS-scope lines.
  • Quantifies the issue before any correction route is discussed.

How your data is handled

You deal directly with the analyst who builds the forecast. The working style is written-first: no junior handoff and no pressure conversation. If you would find a short call helpful, you can request one.

  • Supplier invoices, BOM files and tonnage notes are used only for the commissioned analysis.
  • Payment card details are handled by Stripe and are not stored on this website.
  • Lead and intake data may be processed by the site host, email provider, Brevo and Stripe as set out in the privacy notice.
  • ICO registration: ZC112776.
Official position checked: 27 July 2026. No confirmed Year-2 producer-fee table has been published in the official sources checked. The calculator therefore uses confirmed 2025-26 base fees only and does not apply assumed 2026-27 modulation rates. This page will be updated when the confirmed fee publication is available. The DRS exclusion wording, sample forecast, Discovery/BOM rebuild option and ongoing ledger-management route remain available here.
Engagements

A service ladder from free estimate to ongoing data control

Tier 1 · Desk review

EPR Exposure Snapshot

£295 + VAT
  • 2-page written exposure review in 48 hours
  • Your 2026–27 planning scenarios, checked against the figures supplied and updated when official producer fees are confirmed
  • Material-by-material red / amber / green modulation risk flags
  • Data-quality triage: what is missing, weak or risky
  • Short finance summary for the finance lead or owner
  • The three figures your budget must hold for 2026–27
  • Credited in full against a full forecast within 30 days
Commission the Snapshot — £295 + VAT

Delivered within 48 hours of receiving your figures

Tier 2 · Data rebuild

EPR Data Discovery & BOM Rebuild

Discovery: Standard

£1,500 + VAT

Up to ~50 SKUs, single site, remote

Discovery: Extended

£2,500 + VAT

50+ SKUs, multi-channel/import, 2+ sites, site visit included where required

  • Everything in the Snapshot
  • For messy records, weak supplier weights or unclear SKU structure
  • Data-readiness checklist before the rebuild starts
  • Rebuilds the packaging data trail by SKU, supplier and material
  • Separates household, B2B, export, reusable and DRS-scope lines
  • Submission-ready data model for your team or scheme provider
  • 30-minute written findings walkthrough
  • Credited against the full Forecast when commissioned within 30 days
Scope a Discovery project Prefer to talk it through? Book a prepared call

Final tier confirmed in a short written triage (included in your Snapshot) before any work or payment begins. Site visits scoped in writing first. Credited against your Forecast when commissioned within 30 days.

Tier 3 · Full engagement

Statutory Liability Forecast

£1,250 + VAT fixed fee
  • Everything in Snapshot and, where needed, Discovery
  • 18-page forecast built from your invoice and tonnage data
  • One-page board summary
  • Modulation scenario analysis per material using the official rates available at the time of the forecast
  • Quarterly cash-flow phasing aligned to PackUK instalments
  • Material-switch and lightweighting savings analysis
  • Confidence rating and decision note
  • Output formatted for your finance lead, FD and board pack
  • Two hours of written advisory within 90 days, scoped to EPR matters
  • Free factual correction round
  • EPR change-alert emails while the forecast is current
Commission the Forecast — £1,250 + VAT Prefer to talk it through? Book a prepared call

Delivered within 7 working days of receiving your data

Ongoing · Quarterly billed

Statutory Packaging Ledger Management

£295-£495 + VAT / month
  • Everything in the Forecast kept current
  • Monthly packaging classification and reconciliation support
  • Maintains the evidence trail for your internal team or scheme provider
  • Flags changes in material mix, suppliers, DRS scope and over-declaration risk
  • Priority written response for EPR data questions
  • Annual re-forecast included
  • Billed quarterly, with annual prepay available on request
  • Does not submit statutory returns; it prepares the data model behind them
Discuss ledger management

Best after a Snapshot, Discovery project or full Forecast

Engagement footing: all prices exclude VAT. VAT is charged at the prevailing UK rate and shown on your invoice. The £295 + VAT Snapshot is credited in full against the Forecast, so the full analysis costs £955 + VAT more. Fixed-price products use standard Stripe checkout. Scoped products route through intake, written quote, then a Stripe payment link or invoice. Discovery payment or deposit is taken before work starts under written terms; retainer work is billed quarterly or by annual prepay.

Scope a Discovery project

Send the minimum scoping details. The analyst confirms Standard or Extended in writing before payment or work begins.

Discuss ledger management

Ledger management is scoped from your current EPR data position, then billed quarterly by subscription or invoice.

Prepared call booking

A short prepared call is available on request

The desk remains written-first. If you would find a call helpful, send the facts first; the analyst reviews the position, prepares the discussion, then uses the 15-minute slot to answer the real question instead of gathering basics.

How the call works

No blind sales call. No payment is taken for scoped work until the written scope or quote is confirmed.

  1. Send your business details and the issue to prepare for.
  2. Choose one available 15-minute UK-time slot.
  3. You receive an email confirmation with a calendar file.
  4. If the slot is for Discovery or retainer work, the next step is a written scope and Stripe link or invoice.

Book a prepared EPR call

Choose a UK-time slot

Method & analyst

Tracked from the first DEFRA consultation, modelled like an economist

Since January 2023 this desk has followed every DEFRA announcement, PackUK fee publication and modulation consultation. The forecasting model is rebuilt against each official revision — so your numbers reflect the scheme as it is, not as it was reported last year.

The work is economic analysis: cost incidence, scenario modelling, cash-flow phasing and price pass-through. It is deliberately independent — this desk sells no compliance-scheme membership, no packaging, and no waste services. The only product is clarity.

Everything is handled in writing: you send data, you receive a forecast. A short call is available on request.

Godfred Frimpong
Food & Trade Economist

I model EPR the way a finance team actually needs it: as cost, cash flow and decisions, not compliance jargon. That focus comes from a long career in cost analysis applied specifically to food and trade.

  • MSc Food Economics & Marketing, University of Reading
  • 30+ years in financial management and cost analysis
  • Specialist in statutory cost modelling for food businesses
  • DEFRA / PackUK publications tracked since January 2023
Questions

Asked before commissioning

Is this a compliance scheme?

No. Compliance schemes register you and submit your data. This desk does the piece they don't: forecasting what the liability does to your cash flow and budget, independently of anyone selling you membership.

My data is messy. Is that a problem?

No. Rough tonnages, supplier invoices, screenshots and spreadsheets are all workable. Part of the engagement is organising what you have into figures you can defend.

Do you provide tax or legal services?

No. This is independent economic forecasting and cost analysis. The output is designed to hand to your finance adviser and board, and works alongside whatever compliance scheme you use.

What if I'm under the £2m / 50-tonne threshold?

You may only have reporting duties for now — but the Snapshot will tell you how close you are to the threshold and what crossing it would cost, so the liability never arrives as a surprise.

Prefer to start with a question?

Everything is handled in writing. Send a message and you will receive a written reply, usually within one working day. A short call is available on request.

Email the desk    WhatsApp (written)