New EU Packaging Rules: What Do They Mean for Small Businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk?

If you run a small business in Norfolk or Suffolk, you could be forgiven for seeing headlines about the EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and thinking: we've left the EU, so what has this got to do with me?

For many businesses, the direct answer is not much.

But if you manufacture products, sell packaged goods into Europe, import products, run an online retail business, or simply generate significant amounts of cardboard, plastic and other packaging waste, it's worth paying attention.

That's because packaging is becoming a much bigger cost, compliance and waste-management issue on both sides of the Channel.

The EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) started applying from 12 August 2026. It introduces tougher rules designed to reduce unnecessary packaging, make more packaging recyclable and reusable, and increase the use of recycled materials.

For a Norfolk or Suffolk business selling packaged products into the EU, that could directly affect how those products are packaged and what information you need to provide.

But even if you never sell a single product into Europe, there is a bigger trend here that local businesses shouldn't ignore.

The UK is changing its packaging rules too

The UK has its own Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging regime and has had this since October 2024.

Businesses that supply packaged goods under their own brand, place goods into packaging, import packaged products, sell empty packaging or supply reusable packaging can potentially fall within the rules.

And 'small producer' doesn't simply mean a small company with a handful of employees.

Under current Government guidance, a business can be classed as a small producer for packaging EPR if it meets the relevant turnover and packaging-volume thresholds.

Those businesses can have obligations to register and collect and report information about the packaging they handle. So a local manufacturer, food producer, wholesaler, retailer or e-commerce business could have considerably more reason to understand its packaging than it did a few years ago.

Why should a small business care?

There's the compliance side – but there's also a much more everyday commercial question:

How much packaging are you paying to get rid of?

Cardboard boxes, plastic film, containers, pallets and other packaging arrive at businesses every day. Once the product has been unpacked, that packaging becomes somebody's waste problem.

And businesses often don't know how much of it they're producing, whether it's going into the right waste stream or whether they're paying more than necessary to have it collected.

As regulation pushes businesses towards greater accountability for packaging, understanding what happens after you've opened the box becomes increasingly important too.

Start by looking in your bins

At Marshalls, we think the practical starting point is simple.

Look at what your business is actually throwing away.

Could cardboard be separated more effectively? Is recyclable material disappearing into general waste? Are bins being collected half empty? Are you paying for collections you don't really need? Is packaging taking up huge amounts of space because it isn't being compacted or managed properly?

You don't necessarily need more bins.

You need the right bins, the right waste streams and the right collection schedule for the waste your business actually produces.

That's particularly relevant for manufacturers, warehouses, hospitality businesses, retailers and other organisations across Norfolk and Suffolk dealing with large quantities of packaging every week.

Let Marshalls take a look

We offer businesses across Norfolk and Suffolk a free waste audit.

We'll look at the waste you're producing, the bins and collections you currently have in place, what you're paying and whether there are opportunities to reduce waste, recycle more or simply spend less on getting rid of it.

Because whether the latest regulation comes from Westminster or Brussels, one thing isn't changing:

Waste costs your business money. Managing it better makes commercial sense.

Book your free Marshalls audit today.

This article is intended as general information and isn't regulatory or legal advice. Businesses that manufacture, import, supply or export packaged goods should check which UK and EU packaging regulations apply to their individual circumstances.