Packaging Price Tracker - 12th June 2026

What are PRNs? Packaging Recovery Notes are compliance certificates that obligated UK packaging producers must purchase to prove their packaging has been recycled. The price reflects recycling market capacity — higher prices typically indicate tighter supply of certified recycling.

Why this matters for packaging buyers: HGV fuel surcharges typically track diesel prices with a 4–6 week lag. Diesel has now fallen for eight consecutive weeks, reaching 176.7p/litre — down 15.1p from its recent peak and at its lowest level since January 2026. The diesel premium over petrol has narrowed to 21.2p, its tightest since before the Middle East conflict. Eight weeks of sustained falls represents a significant market correction — buyers paying surcharges set at March or April levels are now materially overpaying.

About these fees: 2026/27 marks Year 2 of pEPR and the first year of eco-modulation, replacing the flat-rate fees of 2025/26 with a Red-Amber-Green (RAG) system tied to the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM). Amber is the base rate shown above. Red-rated packaging (less recyclable) is charged at 1.2× amber; Green-rated packaging receives a discount. These are illustrative figures published by PackUK in December 2025 — confirmed fees will be published in June 2026. Wood sees the biggest increase at +60% vs 2025/26. Plastic remains the highest-cost material at ~£465/t amber.

Plastic PRN made the only significant PRN move this week, rising £5.09 to £356.98 per tonne — a new 2026 high and now 140% above the equivalent week last year (£148.80). The pace of the weekly rises has been modest in recent weeks, but the direction has been unrelentingly upward since January. Five months into 2026 and plastic compliance costs show no structural easing — buyers of plastic packaging should treat the current level as the new floor rather than an anomaly.

The remainder of the PRN market was notably quiet this week. Paper, Glass (both grades), and Steel all held flat. Wood edged up marginally to £25.50 — still 415% above the same week last year (£4.95) but showing signs of stabilising after two consecutive large moves. Aluminium continued its gentle retreat to £70.88, now well off its recent £75.00 spike but still significantly above the flat £60.00 level seen through most of Q1 and Q2.

Diesel delivered the headline number this week — falling a further 5.1p to 176.7p/litre, its eighth consecutive weekly fall and lowest level since January 2026. At 15.1p below its conflict peak and with the diesel-to-petrol premium down to 21.2p, the sustained correction is now one of the most significant fuel price moves in recent years. Any buyer still paying haulier surcharges set in March or April is materially overpaying — the data clearly supports a renegotiation conversation.

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