What the HTA has done for its members on EPR
From The Beginning
We have been working hard since this policy was first announced to understand, and crucially to translate this into something applicable to horticulture. We have developed an information summary guide, a reporting guide, and a self-assessment tool with our partners Ecoveritas to help businesses to understand how they will be affected by the legislation. We have also represented our members in our responses to government consultation and subsequent workshops and forums on this topic.
What we have done
We have run webinars and provided updates where we can and have been working hard to understand unforeseen complications to ensure these are clarified by Defra and or the Environment Agency. This includes issues such as the reserve system for retailers to preorder plants from a grower, where there is no contract in place, and whether a distribution label counts as branded packaging or not.
Where We Are At Now
Businesses required to comply with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations should now be doing so. There is a tool available, created by Ecoveritas and specific to the Horticulture industry, which you can find by going to https://horticulture.ecoveritas.com/
For 2025, businesses now need to conduct recyclability assessments on all household packaging. This information needs to be included on the packaging report you submit online as part of your EPR obligations.