100 Companies Just Signed the UK Packaging Pact: What It Means for Food Brands Selling in Britain
April 23, 2026: WRAP launched the UK Packaging Pact on Earth Day with 100 founding signatories including Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, M&S, and Co-op.
On Earth Day 2026, global NGO WRAP launched the UK Packaging Pact — a new cross-sector agreement that replaces the previous UK Plastics Pact and expands to cover every packaging material: glass, paper, card, metal, plastics, and biobased materials. With 100 founding signatories including the UK’s largest retailers and food manufacturers, this agreement sets the direction for British packaging for the next decade.
For any food brand or packaging supplier selling into the UK market, this Pact signals where buyer requirements are heading — and what you need to prepare for.
Who Signed
The founding signatories represent a who’s who of UK food retail and manufacturing: Aldi, ASDA, Co-op, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco (the retailers), Danone UK, Haleon, Hilton Food Group, Innocent Drinks, Muller, Unilever UK & Ireland, William Jackson Food Group (the brands), and Biffa, SUEZ (the waste management companies). Government bodies including Defra and DAERA, plus industry associations like the British Retail Consortium, British Plastics Federation, British Glass, and Food and Drink Federation are also on board.
When companies controlling this much of the UK food supply chain agree on packaging standards, those standards become the de facto market requirement — whether or not they’re legally mandated.
The Four Goals
The Pact has four interconnected goals that will shape UK packaging requirements through 2030 and beyond. First, Optimize Packaging — reducing single-use packaging, removing problematic materials, and increasing recyclability. Second, Increase Recycled Content — right-weighting packaging and reducing virgin fossil-fuel-derived materials. Third, Improve Recycling Infrastructure — investing in collection and processing systems. Fourth, Drive Reuse — developing and scaling reusable packaging systems.
Why This Matters Right Now
The UK Packaging Pact arrives at the intersection of three major regulatory forces. The UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme is now in Year 2, with modulated fees penalizing hard-to-recycle packaging. The UK Plastic Packaging Tax charges £228.82/tonne on plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content. And the UK Deposit Return Scheme launches October 2027, requiring beverage container redesign.
The Pact provides a platform for industry to collectively navigate these regulations and influence how they’re implemented. Its first-year workstreams include addressing non-recyclable multi-material films (a major food packaging category), providing evidence on the evolution of the Recyclability Assessment Methodology for pEPR, and developing data harmonization to reduce the reporting burden on businesses.
What Food Packaging Suppliers Should Do
Align your product portfolio with the Pact’s goals. Packaging that is mono-material, recyclable by design, made with recycled content, and lightweight will be preferred by every Pact signatory. Multi-material laminates, carbon black plastics, and non-recyclable flexible films are explicitly targeted for phase-out.
Prepare recyclability documentation. UK buyers will increasingly request Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) compliance data for every packaging product. If you can’t demonstrate that your packaging scores Green or Amber under the RAM, you’ll face higher pEPR fees — and Pact signatories will look for alternatives.
Watch the non-recyclable films workstream. Multi-material flexible packaging (think: metallized snack pouches, stand-up pouches with mixed PE/PET layers) is the Pact’s first target. If your food brand relies on flexible film packaging for the UK market, expect pressure to transition to mono-material or paper-based alternatives within 2–3 years.
Selling food packaging into the UK? GQ TH Pack supplies UK-compliant mono-material food packaging — kraft paper bags, PP containers, PET trays, and bagasse products that align with the UK Packaging Pact’s recyclability goals. Contact us for packaging designed for the UK market.