Packaging Price Tracker - 31st July 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 surged past £445 this week, climbing £26.16 to £448.72 per tonne — its largest single-week gain in over a month and yet another record. At 189% above the equivalent week last year (£155.24), plastic compliance costs have now nearly tripled year-on-year. The sheer persistence of the climb through 2026 — from around £300 in early May to almost £450 now — represents one of the most sustained PRN inflations on record, and buyers of plastic packaging face an increasingly challenging cost environment with no ceiling yet in sight.

Elsewhere the PRN market showed more two-way movement than in recent weeks. Paper pulled back 6.6% to £9.11 after nearing £10, and Steel eased to £40.81. Aluminium rebounded 4.5% to £65.00, partially reversing last week's sharp drop, while Wood held steady at £50.00 and Glass firmed marginally on both grades. The pullbacks in Paper and Steel offer a rare note of relief, though both remain dramatically elevated year-on-year.

The fuel rebound gathered pace this week. Diesel jumped 6.89p to 173.97p/litre — its second consecutive rise and the sharpest weekly increase since spring — as the Strait of Hormuz disruption pushed crude oil prices higher. Petrol climbed 3.84p to 156.13p. In just two weeks diesel has recovered around 9p of its earlier decline, and the premium over petrol has widened back to 17.8p. The July trough now looks firmly behind us; buyers still exposed to spot haulage rates should prepare for renewed fuel surcharge pressure through August.

Need sustainable packaging for your business?

From corrugated boxes to eco-friendly void fill — we supply the UK's leading retailers and brands.