The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) held a webinar aimed at all UK housewares, DIY, garden and small electricals suppliers on the implications and preparations required ahead of the forthcoming Plastic Packaging Act (PPA), which comes into force in April 2022.
Under the new legislation, from April 2022 all plastic items used in the packaging of products must include a minimum of 30% recycled content, or face taxes of £200 per metric tonne of chargeable plastic packaging components. All suppliers whose products include any plastic component – recycled or not – must submit details to HMRC from April 2022, if the volumes involved meet the ten tonne per tax year threshold. An important learning from the webinar was that even suppliers who are below the volume threshold would be advised to keep records in case of audit – even if they do not have to pay the tax.
The legislation may affect any home or garden business that manufactures or imports plastic packaging, including ready packaged goods. The webinar also covered off certain single-use products that might be categorised as packaging for the purposes of the tax and followed on from BHETA's successful lobbying campaign to clarify the definition of plastic packaging. This lobbying led to the exclusion of multi-use plastic such as home storage containers, lunchboxes and garden planters and storage from the scope of the legislation.
BHETA Marketing Manager, Steve Richardson, who co-ordinated the lobbying initiative said, "The amended legislation follows the principle BHETA championed that 'single use plastics' are much more challenging for the environment than 'multi-use' products. In accordance with this, members need to be aware that any plastic packaging or single use items for home and garden will be liable to the plastic packaging tax. The draft legislation also sets out that single use plastic items for home use, such as carrier bags and plastic cups, are within the scope of the tax."
