Defra ‘open’ for producers to be on EPR administrator board

During an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) select committee meeting, Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey said Defra is receptive to the idea of allowing packaging producers on the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging administration board.

Despite expressing openness to the notion of producers being invited on the EPR board, Dr. Coffey added that due to the Treasury’s stipulations around a public sector EPR scheme administrator, Defra are limited regarding producer representation.

The Environment Secretary was asked her view on the recent criticism that EPR implementation has faced around concerns about the effectiveness of local authority recycling infrastructure and how the funds raised from EPR will be spent. Dr. Coffey responded that she is “open” for producers to be on the administrative board in order to “drive the best outcomes” but shared her reservations about the Treasury’s requirement of a public sector scheme administrator.

Dr. Thérèse Coffey, Environment Secretary on allowing packaging producers on the administrative board:

“I am open in terms of governance for them [packaging producers] being on the board to drive the best outcomes. We are restricted in that it needs to be a public body, on the basis of designation of a status by the ONS and the Treasury.

“I want to make it as successful as possible. I am aware and conscious of industry and I hope we can move forward and work together to make it a good outcome.”

Defra are set to announce the EPR scheme administrator towards the end of the year and will be in the public sector. The scheme administrator’s function in pEPR is determining how producers will pay the full net cost of collection, treatment, and sorting of packaging waste to Local Authorities as well as managing Local Authority’s efficiency and effectiveness assessments.