Packaging Price Tracker - 26th 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 is on the verge of breaking £400 per tonne, surging another £22.42 this week to reach £399.12 — its second consecutive week of £20-plus gains and a new 2026 high by a wide margin. At 167% above the equivalent week last year (£149.20), the acceleration in plastic compliance costs through June has been dramatic. With the material now approaching a symbolic threshold, buyers of plastic packaging face genuine cost pressure heading into the second half of the year, and the pace of recent rises suggests £400 will likely be breached within weeks.

Wood PRN continued its extraordinary run, climbing another 13% to £34.58 — now 765% above the equivalent week last year (£4.00) and one of the standout compliance-cost stories of 2026. Paper PRNs pushed higher again to £8.48 (+5.2%), and Glass firmed on both grades to £94.00. Steel held at £42.50 while Aluminium was essentially flat at £69.00. With almost every material now trending upward, the broad-based nature of PRN inflation in 2026 is becoming the defining feature of the compliance market.

Diesel remains the one consistent source of relief — falling a further 5.35p to 167.12p/litre, its tenth consecutive weekly fall and now a full 25p below its April conflict peak of 192.14p. The diesel-to-petrol premium has narrowed to just 16.1p, less than half its April high. This is a substantial and sustained correction in transport fuel costs — buyers should ensure the full benefit is being passed through by their hauliers, as surcharges set earlier in the year no longer reflect the market.

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