WRAP’s UK Packaging Pact has officially launched - bringing together over 100 organisations from across the packaging value chain to accelerate the transition to a more circular packaging system in the UK.
Building on the proven impact of the UK Plastics Pact, the new Pact expands its scope beyond plastics to address all packaging materials. It comes at a pivotal moment, as major policy reforms - including Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR), Simpler Recycling and the Deposit Return Scheme - begin to reshape how packaging is designed, collected and managed across the UK.
For local authorities, these changes bring both opportunity and complexity. The UK Packaging Pact has been designed to help ensure that reforms deliver in practice - supporting a system that works not just in theory, but on the ground.
WRAP
Why this matters for local authorities
Local authorities sit at the heart of the packaging system - responsible for collecting materials from households and ensuring they are managed effectively. Yet too often, packaging design and infrastructure decisions are made upstream, without full consideration of what works operationally at a local level.
The UK Packaging Pact aims to address this by bringing together businesses, government and the wider value chain to tackle system-wide challenges collaboratively - including those that directly impact local authority services.
Designing packaging that works in the real world
One of the Pact’s core priorities is to ensure packaging is designed for recyclability. This includes driving the elimination of problematic materials and improving consistency across all packaging formats – not just plastics.
For local authorities, this is critical. Better packaging design means clearer communication to residents, higher capture rates, reduced contamination and more efficient collections. In short, it helps make recycling systems simpler and more cost-effective to run.
WRAP
Strengthening UK recycling infrastructure
The Pact will also play a key role in supporting circular infrastructure investment - helping to ensure that the materials collected by local authorities are actually recycled.
This includes developing clearer evidence base on material flows, identifying where infrastructure gaps exist, and supporting the development of domestic end markets. It will also inform how pEPR funding is directed, helping to ensure investment flows to where it is most needed.
For local authorities, this is a critical issue. There is little value in collecting materials for recycling if they cannot be processed effectively in the UK - or if they add cost and complexity without delivering better outcomes. A stronger, more resilient domestic system will help close this loop.
A collaborative approach to system change
The UK Packaging Pact is not about setting new targets in isolation. Instead, it focuses on practical, delivery-led collaboration - bringing together the organisations that design packaging, collect it and process it to solve shared challenges.
This includes engaging closely with local authorities to ensure that solutions are grounded in operational reality, and that changes upstream translate into tangible improvements on the ground.
Get involved
The Pact is open to organisations across the value chain, and WRAP is keen to work closely with local authorities and partners to ensure their perspectives are reflected.
For the first time, we’re inviting local authorities to join as a ‘Knowledge Associate’ (no joining fees) and be part of shaping plans, sharing insights and connecting with businesses to amplify action. To find out more about the UK Packaging Pact visit our dedicated web page here: UK Packaging Pact | WRAP - The Waste and Resources Action Programme and complete the join the pact form.
