IN Brief:
- RECOUP has published Recyclability by Design 2026 v12.0, marking 20 years of its plastic packaging design guidance.
- The updated edition covers materials, colours, labels, closures, sleeves and other components affecting collection and recycling.
- Its recommendations complement, but do not replace, the statutory recyclability assessment methodology used for packaging EPR reporting.
RECOUP has released Recyclability by Design 2026 v12.0, updating guidance on plastic packaging materials and components as UK recyclability assessments gain importance in producer reporting. The guide was published on 3 November and marks 20 years of the organisation’s design recommendations. It covers materials, colours, labels, closures, sleeves and other features that influence how used packaging passes through collection, sorting and reprocessing.
The latest edition was developed with specialists from the plastics and recycling value chain and is intended for packaging designers, specifiers, brands and retailers. RECOUP says the recommendations reflect the current recycling infrastructure and the UK’s evolving policy framework, including the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM). The guide supports design decisions but does not replace the statutory methodology that large producers must use for reporting. The organisation has made the new edition available through its research and reports service.
A food pack must retain its contents through filling, distribution, storage and use, while the discarded pack has to be recognised and handled by a recycling system. The two requirements can pull design decisions in different directions: barrier layers and seals protect products, but some combinations of materials are difficult to separate or reprocess. Sorting equipment may also respond to a pack’s surface, colour or decoration rather than identifying every material within it. Evaluating the full packaging assembly helps reveal problems that are less obvious when assessing a container’s main polymer alone.
Material selection affects both pack performance and the stream into which it can be recycled. Different polymers have distinct processing characteristics, and multi-material structures may be required for oxygen barriers, mechanical strength or sealing. Where layers cannot be separated within the available recycling infrastructure, otherwise useful packaging performance can come at the expense of material recovery. RECOUP’s updated guide includes materials and their associated components among the factors designers should assess, without prescribing a single polymer for every food application.
Labels and sleeves can alter recycling performance even where they make up only a small part of a pack’s weight. Large sleeves may interfere with optical identification; incompatible plastics, metallised layers or adhesives can affect sorting, washing or the quality of recovered material. The recent glue-free PET bottle sleeve development illustrates an attempt to improve separation at the recycling stage. Whether a sleeve, label or adhesive presents a problem depends on the materials used, the pack geometry and the collection and reprocessing processes available.
Caps, closures and sealing films have to retain the performance needed to prevent leakage, preserve product quality and provide tamper evidence where appropriate. Their polymer types, dimensions and attachment methods can also affect downstream separation. Switching to compatible components may simplify recycling, but packaging changes still require validation for filling equipment, seal integrity and food contact compliance. A component that separates successfully during recycling must also perform throughout the food pack’s intended service life.
The UK’s extended producer responsibility system introduces formal recyclability assessments alongside packaging data reporting. Large producers supplying household packaging are required to assess it using the government’s RAM and report red, amber or green ratings, which are relevant to fee modulation. RAM version 1.1 applies to the 2026 reporting year, whereas the separately published RAM 2027 documentation governs the next reporting year. RECOUP’s voluntary design recommendations and the government’s reporting methodology serve different functions and must be applied accordingly.
The official assessment considers whether packaging can be collected, sorted and reprocessed, and whether the recovered material has an application. A design can meet one of those conditions while failing another; component-specific restrictions differ between materials and packaging types. Government guidance lists features that can lead to poor ratings for particular plastic formats, including some combinations of polymers, metallised elements and barrier structures. Producers must apply the specified RAM criteria rather than treating every coloured pack or every sleeve as automatically unacceptable.
Food production adds process constraints to the choice of recyclable packaging. Products can require oxygen or moisture barriers, resistance to grease, reliable heat seals, or stable dimensions during chilled storage and transport. Some packs must withstand defined heating conditions or protect contents through an extended distribution period. Changing a substrate or removing a layer can therefore affect seal performance, shelf life and product safety, all of which need to be checked during packaging qualification.
When packaging is purchased from a converter, technical information has to move between that supplier and the food manufacturer. The converter may control polymer selection, printed layers and sealant construction, while the food producer specifies filling speeds, product contact conditions and distribution requirements. Material declarations, component specifications and test results help determine how a modified pack will perform and which RAM criteria apply. Both businesses may need to revise specifications before a design change reaches the filling line.
The 2026 guidance gives packaging teams an updated reference while they report against the current RAM and prepare for the following year’s rules. RECOUP’s recommendations do not determine the legal rating of an individual pack, because official assessments depend on its materials and collection and reprocessing routes. Testing recyclability and food protection together, before investing in tooling or committing to supply contracts, allows new formats to be evaluated against both production and recovery requirements.
