Aluminium PRN Update – Advisory Commission On Packaging – Simpler PRN system expected for 2016.

Source: Simpler PRN system expected for 2016 | News | Materials Recycling World

The Co2 Compliance Packaging Scheme can confirm full Packaging Compliance in Aluminium for 2015, having covered all members obligations earlier in the year.

Concerns have also been raised about aluminium PRNs which have significantly underperformed in the last two quarters.

This has been largely blamed on new protocols from January 2015 that no longer recognise the amount of aluminium packaging contributed by scrap metal dealers.

Although a new protocol has been developed to accommodate for this, which considers 50% of non-ferrous material recovered from incinerator bottom ash as packaging, the reported tonnages do not cover the shortfall.

“Defra and the Agencies are keen to ensure that industry recognises that the Q1 and Q2 shortfalls [in aluminium] cannot be resolved through changing the regulatory goal posts,” said Conran.

“This clearly has the potential to add significant cost to obligated businesses but there is no silver bullet and schemes and producers need to recognise the need for urgent and concerted effort to identify new sources of unaccredited tonnage.”

The failure of aluminium reprocessors to apply for accreditation has been partially blamed on the low price of PRNs at the beginning of the year which sat at just £5-£6 (see table).

Month	Aluminium PRN Price (£)
January	5-6
February	7-9
March	8-10
April	8-10
May	14-16
June	20-30
July	25-35
Aug	30-40

 

However, the resulting shortfall has caused the price to increase considerably to up to £40 each.

It is hoped this may encourage more reprocessors to get accredited although the EA is reportedly not considering a backdating option which means any PRNs that would have been generated earlier in the year are now lost.

Conran also noted that the ACP hopes to implement a comprehensive website “that will vastly improve transparency on PRN spend”.

ACP chairman, Phil Conran, below, hopes that the changes will encourage more reprocessors and exporters to register for the system, which will boost the number of PRNs on the market and provide the Government with a more accurate picture of UK packaging recycling.

“The ACP continues to make progress on a number of fronts with some excellent work being done by its members,” said Conran

“We should see a much simpler and fairer accreditation process for 2016 for reprocessors and exporters.”

The committee’s technical liaison group wants the Environment Agency (EA) to allow accreditation without sampling which could result in lower fees for companies interested in getting accredited.

There will also be changes applied in the new year that will allow UK reprocessors to “click on a renew button” for their 2015 accreditation to be automatically carried into 2016.

However, this will only be available to reprocessors that have had no changes to their process, sampling and inspection plans.

It is expected that exporters will also be able to automatically renew their accreditation, although non-EU sites deemed “broadly equivalent” to those meeting EU criteria would still need to be assessed annually.

Source: Simpler PRN system expected for 2016 | News | Materials Recycling World