Defra’s service
The RPD account and its optional file generator, with built-in validation.
Free; the producer does the data work.Software · packaging EPR, buyer’s guide
EPR packaging software: which route fits your producer tier
EPR packaging software collects the packaging a producer supplies by material and class and prepares its return to the government’s Report Packaging Data service.
Defra’s own file generator is free and optional, so the first decision is the route, not the product.
Whether a tool’s output file matches the schema is tested on EPR packaging reporting software.
Three routes
Do you need EPR packaging software, or will Defra’s own route do?
Many small producers will not need software at all.
Defra’s file guidance says its Excel generator is optional, includes built-in validation and creates the CSV to upload, and that a producer can build its own file or use a compliance scheme.
The Report Packaging Data account itself lets a producer register directly or say it uses a compliance scheme, report data and change details.
Software earns its place when packaging data sits across hundreds of SKUs, several sites or more than one of the seven producer roles in regulation 15.
Packaging
data
data
Compliance scheme
A scheme registers and reports for its members.
Data still comes from the producer.Third-party software
Collects SKU data, applies classes and exports the file.
Worth it with many SKUs or roles.The tier test
Which producer tier must EPR packaging software work out first?
The tier decides the deadlines and whether recycling obligations apply, so a tool has to get it right before anything else.
Both limbs must be met: a large producer has turnover of more than £2 million and supplied more than 50 tonnes, and a small producer more than £1 million and more than 25 tonnes, under regulation 24.
The two limbs are measured in different years, which is the commonest error in spreadsheets and tools alike.
Groups, mergers and demergers have their own rules, so ask how a tool handles a business bought during the year.
Two limbs, two yearsExplore
Two limbs, two years
Turnover
Last financial year ending before 7 April in Y-1 with audited accounts.
Two limbs, two years
Tonnage
Packaging supplied in year Y-2, to the nearest tonne, excluding exempt packaging.
Before you sign
Which questions should you put to an EPR packaging provider?
Each question beside this names the provision it comes from and what a passing answer looks like.
Bring ten real SKUs, including one with mixed materials and one sold through a marketplace.
The file-schema questions are on EPR packaging reporting software.
This site has tested no products
The vendor registry holds no packaging EPR claim, so no product is named here.
Packaging EPR demo questions · tick the ones you need
The pass tests are our reading of the cited provisions.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
Two liabilities
Does EPR packaging software cover fees and recycling obligations?
| Liability | Who it falls on | How it is met | What the software can do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packaging data return | Large and small producers | Upload to the RPD service | Collect, classify, validate and export |
| Disposal fees (Part 5) | Large producers | Paid to PackUK | Forecast, once PackUK publishes the rates |
| Recycling obligations (Part 3) | Large producers | PRNs and PERNs, by material | Track tonnage owed and notes held |
Disposal fees and recycling obligations are two separate liabilities under the same regulations, and excess notes for one material cannot be used for another.
The 2026/27 fees had not been set as at this page’s date, so a tool that shows a final fee for that year is showing an estimate.
What a large producer tracksExplore
Spreadsheet or software
When does a spreadsheet stop working for packaging EPR?
A producer with a few dozen SKUs and one role can manage with a spreadsheet and Defra’s generator.
The break usually comes with supplier weights changing often, several sites, or marketplace and import roles at once.
The calculator beside this compares your current hours with any quote you hold; it names no price.
Platform against the way you work now
Current process £0 a year · quote £0 a year
Fill in all three to see the break-even hours.
Arithmetic on your own inputs.
The quote’s implementation, uplift and exit terms are in the three-year worksheet on the carbon reporting software page.
Nothing is stored or sent.
The first cycle
What does a first reporting cycle with EPR packaging software involve?
Confirm the tier first, then the producer roles, because they decide what is reported and when.
Spend most of the time getting packaging weights from suppliers, not configuring the tool.
Validate against the current schema well before the deadline, then reconcile the file to sales before upload.
For the board
Pick the route before the product and the weights before the route
Packaging EPR is a data job first; the right tool is the one that makes supplier weights reliable.
Takeaways
EPR packaging software in five facts
| Fact | What to do |
|---|---|
| Defra’s file generator is free and optional | Try it before buying anything |
| Tiers need both turnover and tonnage, from different years | Make the tier test the first demo question |
| Large producers report by 1 October and 1 April | Check the tool holds both periods |
| Fees and recycling obligations are separate | Refuse any tool that nets them |
| The 2026/27 fees were not set at this date | Treat any fee shown as an estimate |
Next: read UK packaging EPR explained to confirm your producer role.
Frequently asked
EPR packaging software, answered
What is EPR packaging software?
Software that collects the packaging a producer supplies, by material, packaging type and class, weighs it, and prepares the producer’s return to the Report Packaging Data service.
Some products also forecast disposal fees and track recycling obligations.
The sibling guide on EPR packaging reporting software tests the output file; this page helps choose the route.
Do I need software for packaging EPR?
No. Defra’s own file generator is optional and includes validation, a producer may create its own file, and a compliance scheme can handle much of the work.
Software helps when there are many SKUs or several producer roles.
Who has to report packaging data?
A large producer has turnover of more than £2 million and supplied more than 50 tonnes of packaging; a small producer has turnover of more than £1 million and more than 25 tonnes, but is not large.
Both limbs must be met, and they are measured in different years.
When are packaging EPR returns due?
A large producer reports six-monthly data by 1 October for January to June, and by 1 April for July to December of the previous year.
A small producer reports by 1 April each year for the previous calendar year.
Which packaging EPR software is best?
This site has tested no product and the vendor registry it keeps holds no packaging EPR claim, so it names none.
Choose the route first, then put the demo questions to each provider using your own SKU data.
Does EPR software pay my fees?
No. Disposal fees are paid to PackUK, and recycling obligations are met by acquiring packaging recycling notes and export recycling notes.
A tool can forecast and track both, but they are separate liabilities.
Are the 2026/27 disposal fees known?
Not as at this page’s date: the fees had not been set and PackUK’s illustrative figures were described as likely to change significantly.
A tool should not present an invented fee as final.
What can I do in the Report Packaging Data account?
Register directly or tell the regulators you use a compliance scheme, report packaging data and change organisation details; a large producer can also check recycling obligations, accept PRNs and PERNs and see its waste disposal fee.
Is EPR packaging software the same as Plastic Packaging Tax software?
No. Plastic Packaging Tax is an HMRC tax with its own records and returns.
Some data overlaps, so ask whether one product handles both.
Should I join a compliance scheme instead of buying software?
It depends on your tier and how much of the data work you want to keep.
A compliance scheme can register and report for you; software keeps the data in-house.
Many producers use both.
What data does EPR packaging software need from me?
For each item: material, packaging type, packaging class, weight, the producer role you supply it under and the period.
Most of the effort is getting accurate weights from suppliers.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
Checked against 15 sources fromlegislation.gov.ukDefra and Environment AgencyDefraPackUKEnvironment AgencyHMRC
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2024/1332, Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024
The pEPR regulations, as amended from 1 January 2026.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2024/1332, contents
Parts 3 (recycling) and 5 (disposal fees).
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2024/1332, regulation 15
The seven classes of producer.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2024/1332, regulation 24
Large and small producers: turnover AND tonnage.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2024/1332, regulation 35
Large producer reporting deadlines.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2024/1332, regulation 36
Small producer reporting deadline.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2025/1369, amending regulations
In force 1 January 2026.
- Defra and Environment AgencyReport packaging data
What the official account does; updated 19 August 2026.
- DefraReport packaging data: create your reporting file
The optional file generator and the file schema.
- DefraEPR for packaging: who is affected
Producer roles and thresholds in plain English.
- DefraEPR for packaging: how to pay your fees
Disposal fees, paid to PackUK.
- DefraEPR for packaging: recycling obligations
A separate liability, met with PRNs and PERNs.
- PackUKPackUK
The scheme administrator.
- Environment AgencyPackaging waste: register as a producer
Direct registration or via a compliance scheme.
- HMRCCheck if you need to register for Plastic Packaging Tax
A separate tax with its own records.