pEPR “RAM Roadmap” over the next five years
The Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) Technical Advisory Committee (RAM TAC) has laid out their areas of focus for the future releases of the RAM to help Producers plan and make changes accordingly. This update, released on 1 October 2025, aligns with the deadline for the Jan-June 2025 UK Extended Producer Responsibility submission.
Over recent years we have seen a huge amount of change through packaging EPR (pEPR). The introduction of the RAM has brought the need for producers to carry out recyclability assessment on all their household, public bin packaging, which is possibly the most significant change impacting producers.
The RAM will categorise packaging as either Red, Amber, or Green for recyclability which, alongside fee modulation, will ensure that producer’s trend towards packaging that can be recycled and transformed into new products, replacing virgin materials, and helping to support a circular packaging economy.
On 17 Oct 2024, Defra published the first draft of the RAM to gather feedback from stakeholders, including Beyondly, with the final version being released on 23 Dec 2024.
Once released into the public sphere and the real world of data gathering, an updated, and ‘simplified’ RAM v1.1 was released late April 2025, removing some data points that were deemed unnecessary, or that needed extra work to fit in the methodology properly.
The RAM is a living methodology that will develop over time to adjust to changes in regulation (Simpler Recycling in England, for example), or to changes and innovation in recycling infrastructure. We are therefore expecting the data points to change and develop over the years, with it potentially being harder for packaging to stay out of the red, or to stay in the green.
The RAM Technical Advisory Committee (RAM TAC) will be providing technical advice and supporting PackUK to develop the RAM to reflect both recyclability alongside other metrics for assessment. In order to help producers understand the changes that will be coming in the future and to prepare and forecast accordingly, the RAM TAC have developed a “Roadmap” for the coming years which will lay out the areas of focus for each new iteration of the RAM.
The roadmap includes details and timings of TAC meetings and four nations policy reviews alongside pEPR deadlines and future RAM publications. Laid out for each year are other considerations and material ‘deep dives’ to assess how the RAM can support the different packaging materials while considering industry changes and innovation for future updates.
| RAM 2027 | RAM 2028 | RAM 2029 |
|---|---|---|
|
*e.g 40x40mm thresholds for glass and flexible plastics **RecyClass, 4Evergreen, RECOUP |
Future areas of focus
|
*TBS = Take-back schemes under the RAM
**FBC = Fibre-based composite
Areas of focus in the above are to be looked at before the associated RAM release but may not necessarily be associated with that release.
There will also be an annual policy alignment review in October each year to assess the RAM against the Four Nations’ waste and resources strategies and any international considerations.
The release of the roadmap marks another positive step in the evolvement of packaging Extended Producer Responsibility in the UK, with RAM continuing to evolve as a practical tool for producers navigating the requirements. Its dynamic approach ensures that recyclability assessments reflect both policy shifts and advances in recycling infrastructure, supporting the transition towards a more circular packaging economy.
Beyondly continue to support their members to collect and store their data related to the new pEPR regulations, therefore encourage members to reach out to their account manager to cover any questions.
Interested in receiving support from Beyondly? Click below to read more about pEPR and our service or email [email protected] to chat to our team.
Full Story: PackUK announces the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) roadmap - GOV.UK
Please note: all timing in the roadmap are subject to review.
