Closing the loop: Driving circularity and collaboration in UK packaging

Ahead of Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026, Emma Bourne and Claire Dillaney of DEFRA, together with Jeremy Blake of PackUK, reveal how government, industry, and intermediaries are aligning to deliver the UK’s most ambitious system of packaging reform.

In the quiet momentum of industry transformation, some shifts are felt more than they are seen. Across the UK, a system of packaging reform is taking shape that stretches beyond compliance, beyond incremental change, and into the realm of systemic transformation. Here, waste is no longer a by-product; it is a resource, a vector for investment, and a measure of collective ambition.

At the heart of this evolution is a simple yet profound principle. Where packaging is necessary, it must be environmentally positive, and where it is not, it must disappear. Achieving this requires a delicate choreography of regulation, investment, and operational alignment. Over the past three years, the architects of these reforms have framed them not as discrete policies but as an interconnected system, a circular architecture where extended producer responsibility, simpler recycling, and deposit return schemes (DRS) reinforce one another.

Just as Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 offers a tangible stage where industry, policymakers, and intermediaries can explore challenges together, these reforms themselves are a dynamic platform; a living system in which incentives, infrastructure, and engagement converge to drive measurable change. The goal is both elegant and complex: predictability for investors, incentives for producers, clarity for local authorities, and behavioural change for citizens.

The scale of ambition is tangible. Investment of around £10 billion is projected over the next decade, underpinning the expansion of recycling infrastructure, creating tens of thousands of jobs, and establishing the financial certainty that transforms intention into action. But beyond the figures lies the deeper work — alignment across the four nations, engagement across the supply chain, and, above all, collaboration. From government officials to producers, local authorities, and intermediary organisations, the effort is not about directing a single path but orchestrating a system in which every actor can move in harmony toward the same circular vision.

It is in forums that convene this entire ecosystem that the potential of these reforms becomes most visible. Events such as Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026 provide exactly this kind of platform, offering a real-world stage where dialogue, understanding, and shared purpose can translate into measurable progress across the circular economy.

Emma Bourne, Director of Circular Economy at DEFRA, has spent the last three years navigating this terrain. She frames the reforms underway not as discrete projects but as an interconnected system. “These are part of a wider set of system reforms. Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR), simpler recycling, and Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) are the things that I am directly responsible for, but we are delivering them as part of a system of change across government and with industry. And that's important, because we need to see this as part of rebalancing an entire ecosystem. What this will achieve is truly transformative.”

The primary objective, she explains, is elegantly simple. Reduce unnecessary packaging wherever possible, and where packaging is essential, ensure it is as environmentally positive as possible. “Whether that is refillable or reusable, or in other cases repairable, that’s the kind of primary objective,” Bourne notes. Yet underpinning this goal is a far more complex architecture of investment and regulation. “We are doing that by bringing investment into the services that are needed to support circularity. pEPR has delivered on its milestone to issue invoices to packaging producers by the end of October 2025. That brings significant additional investment into local authorities.”

Aligning incentives, investment, and behaviour

It is a landscape of incentives, levers, and infrastructure; a delicate choreography that, if executed correctly, can deliver systemic change at an unprecedented scale. “Part of what we are trying to do here is provide the regulatory certainty and conditions that give investors the confidence to invest in the kind of infrastructure we need to deliver that change,” Bourne continues. “On the back of all those reforms coming together, the leaders of the country's largest waste management companies have committed to invest at least £10 billion in the UK’s recycling infrastructure over the next 10 years because they have the guaranteed feedstock to do that. And that will create around 25,000 jobs.”

Yet investment alone is not enough. The circular economy depends on the flow of material, the alignment of incentives, and the collective engagement of producers, local authorities, and consumers. Jeremy Blake, CEO at PackUK, the man tasked with operationalising pEPR, emphasises this point. “Throughout all of it, there's always been challenges. The launch of pEPR with transactional pEPR now live is a trigger point. This is a step-change moment where we can actually see things change.”

For Blake, the reforms are about predictability and alignment. “From a local authority point of view, we’re properly isolating the money they’re going to get. They’ve got predictability on how to invest in their services going forward and invest in the infrastructure they need. From a producer’s point of view, we’ve actually got an incentivised modulation roadmap to say, whilst nothing is ever perfect, we’ve properly got a line of sight. If you do this, you will get these benefits over doing that. One of the key challenges now is keeping the whole sector together to see that both sides are pushing toward the same goal.”

Claire Dillaney, Deputy Director of Resource and Waste at DEFRA, complements this operational perspective with a focus on citizens and behaviour change. “As the person working on simpler recycling and DRS, after months of hard work putting together the policy position, we are now seeing some of the green shoots. Even though DRS doesn’t go live until 1 October 2027, the work on simpler recycling is translating into real differences on the ground.”

Dillaney likens the system to a three-legged stool: each reform supports the others, and the removal or weakening of any one element compromises the stability of the whole. “pEPR forms the financial foundation, but simpler recycling must provide the standardisation of services,” she explains. “People get really frustrated by the lack of certainty and consistency around bins. What’s important is that we remove that confusion and give people the services they need and deserve so they can change their behaviour, at home, at work, across society. That’s how the benefits Emma was talking about earlier really translate.”

DRS, Dillaney adds, is the third leg, focused on high-value materials — PET, aluminium, steel. “Currently, a lot of these materials end up in general waste or litter. There are huge benefits in driving these materials through the right recycling mechanisms but also in cleaning up our neighbourhoods and streets. DRS allows people to see a very real difference in their day-to-day lives and makes them want to make changes elsewhere in how they manage waste.”

Blake returns to the conversation and provides the perspective of a sector intermediary tasked with ensuring performance improvement at local authority level. “We’ve got some key responsibilities in legislation for us to take this forward, very much in partnership with DEFRA and the other devolved governments. The first thing we’re going to need to do is actually walk a mile in the shoes of the people to see exactly what works and what doesn’t work. The great thing is we’ve got the resources to be able to work with those people and try to capitalise on that view to see how we can improve it.”

Blake emphasises the critical role of collaboration between producers, local authorities, and PackUK. “We can’t underestimate that rationalisation going forward and getting rid of some of the things that are not ideal but still creep into the market. Just getting rid of those negative factors that hold back local authorities is a huge thing we will all do as an industry with packaging to help local authorities on that journey. And that shows the commitment from both sides, in a really positive way, to make those changes.”

Connecting nations, industry, and society

The challenge of implementing these reforms across the UK’s four nations adds an extra layer of complexity. Dillaney highlights the importance of alignment, particularly where timing differs between nations. “We have a very strong relationship with the Welsh Government. It’s not always simple to converge on a point, but we maintain clear dialogue. We’ve come a long way in aligning schemes on timings. There are still a few areas to work through, but with collaborative working and the involvement of the DMO, we’re confident we will end up in the place we need to be by 1 October 2027.”

Beyond compliance, the broader ambition is to accelerate reuse and refill. Bourne frames this as an opportunity to move beyond drink containers to a far broader range of products. “Part of it is that pEPR is a major contributor in starting to create a commercial case for the transition to reuse across a very broad range of products. This is driving change, and industry is responding alongside retailers, working through that transition and operationalising it.”

This interplay between regulation and commercial incentive is central to Blake’s perspective. “Up until this point, stakeholder engagement has been extensive, involving industry, local authorities, and other organisations. Stage one of modulation is ready to go next year. The modulation will drive behaviours, but we’ve designed it with flexibility so we can adapt as we see how it works in practice. We’ve rigorously investigated impacts across the value chain; not everyone gets what they want, but the process is transparent and directed toward a circular economy.”

Glass has emerged as one of the most challenging sectors, he admits, with companies questioning whether high costs will push them toward plastic alternatives. “I have spoken to many of those companies. It’s about balancing cost, material integrity, and the environmental case. This is exactly the kind of conversation we need to have to ensure pEPR and modulation are guiding sustainable choices without unintended consequences.”

Blake again stresses the importance of systemic collaboration: “Some companies want to do the right thing, but they’re making individual choices. Now, we have a roadmap and financial mechanisms that are going to drive people to do the right thing. The challenge is keeping the whole sector economy together, so both sides see that we’re all pushing toward the same thing. That’s where PackUK comes in by supporting good packaging innovation, efficient use of money, and ensuring services run effectively.”

Dillaney underscores the societal dimension of these reforms. “Simpler recycling, DRS, and pEPR are fundamentally about creating a system that works for people and the environment. The public sees change in their day-to-day lives, and that builds trust. Trust drives participation, which drives performance. It’s a feedback loop that can reshape society’s relationship with waste.”

Investment is the underpinning engine. Between pEPR, simpler recycling, and food waste initiatives, billions of pounds are entering the system. “£1.4 billion from pEPR alone and hundreds of millions for food waste collections,” Dillaney notes. “That’s a massive additional investment in local authority recycling and collection services. It far eclipses anything that might come from DRS alone. The expectation is clear: invest to drive performance and the results will follow.”

Crafting a human-centred circular future

The pace of implementation in the UK is notable. Bourne reflects: “There are many countries with innovative legislation, but the UK is delivering at speed, from Simpler Recycling to DRS. That provides confidence to industry that the system is stable, predictable, and actionable.”

Ultimately, the success of these reforms depends on alignment, collaboration, and clarity. Bourne, Dillaney, and Blake repeatedly emphasise the importance of keeping all stakeholders, from producers to local authorities and policymakers, moving toward a common goal. “Sometimes there’s a difference in language between local authorities and businesses,” Blake acknowledges. “But fundamentally, when you get people in a room, they all want the same thing.”

The broader lesson, perhaps, is that packaging is not just a material challenge. It is a systems challenge. It is at once a source of cost, an enabler of convenience, and a potential vector for change.

By combining financial mechanisms, regulatory certainty, behavioural insight, and collaborative leadership, the UK is attempting something far beyond incremental improvement. It is driving the creation of a truly circular economy, where material flows are optimised, environmental impact is minimised, and innovation is embedded into the system.

As Bourne puts it: “We have provided a stable, certain delivery environment. We’ve implemented major change. Now it’s about seeing how industry responds and ensuring the momentum continues. There’s huge potential, and we have to be conscious about how we move next, building on what’s already in train.”

The story of packaging reform is, in this sense, a story of possibility as much as policy. It is about anticipating the challenges of tomorrow and designing a system that is robust, responsive, and regenerative. It is about recognising that the answers are not in science alone, nor in investment, but in the capacity of people across the ecosystem to work together toward a shared vision that comes alive in forums like Packaging Innovations & Empack, where policymakers, producers, and innovators converge to exchange ideas, test approaches, and accelerate progress.

The conversation is far from over. Join policymakers, producers, and innovators at Packaging Innovations & Empack 2026, where the future of sustainable packaging is being shaped in real time. Witness collaboration, explore solutions, and be part of the collective effort to turn ambition into action. Together, we can orchestrate a circular economy that is not just imagined but realised.