More than four in five big shops are turning to more environmentally-friendly packaging as a result of extended producer responsibility (EPR), research has revealed.
A poll by trade body the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that 85 per cent of those questioned intended to increase the proportion of sustainable packaging they placed on the market.
Meanwhile 78 per cent planned to reduce the overall volume of containment material they sell.
The first invoices under EPR will go out this month. It emerged recently that John Lewis Partnership put aside £29 million for the controversial levy in the six months to July.
The BRC also said retailers expected to pass on 80 per cent of EPR costs to consumers.
It called on the government to put in place legal restrictions to ensure money raised by the tax could only be used by local councils for recycling schemes.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said: “Retailers support the polluter-pays principle and are making significant changes to reduce and improve their packaging.
“But the packaging tax is a multi-billion pound levy being paid by consumers during a cost-of-living crisis. Unless funds are spent transparently and effectively, EPR threatens to just be another burden on an already overtaxed industry with no tangible benefits for customers or the environment.”
