Plastic modulated fee

Goal of fee modulation for plastic packaging

The aim is to encourage the use of more recyclable packaging, linking EPR fee bands to the environmental impact of the end-of-life/new-life phases. Conai thus decided to modulate the EPR fee starting from the most complex material (plastic) for the various types and sorting and recycling technologies. Since 2012, some incentivised procedures have already been introduced for reusable packaging in controlled and particularly virtuous circuits from the environmental point of view.

News for 2025 (update following the Conai Board of Directors’ resolution of 27 November 2024)

For 2025, the nine bands in effect since 2023 remain confirmed, with values increasingly linked to the costs required to send the types of packaging included in each band for recycling.

Although average auction prices have had a positive effect on revenues and at the same time EPR fee revenues are in line with those of the budget, the unpredictable increase in the volumes of waste managed by Corepla throughout 2024 has necessitated a remodulation of the EPR fee for plastic packaging; in particular, for six bands there is an increase and for three a slight decrease that is an expression of the chain deficit (balance between costs and possible revenues from sending to recycling).

Starting from 1 July 2025, therefore, the EPR fee will go:

• for band A1.1, from €24.00/t to €40.00/t.
• for band A1.2, from €90.00/t to €87.00/t.
• for band A2, from €220.00/t to €258.00/t.
• for band B1.1, from €224.00/t to €219.00/t.
• for band B1.2*, from €233.00/t to €228.00/t.
• for band B2.1, from €441.00/t to €611.00/t.
• for band B2.2, from €589.00/t to €724.00/t.
• for band B2.3, from €650.00/t to €785.00/t.
• for band C, from €655.00/tonne to €790.00/t.

*
Further news regarding the updating of the Corepla auction Regulations for PET bottles (band B1.2)

Pursuant to article 6, section 4 of EU legislative decree 196/2021 harmonising EU Directive 2019/904 (known as the SUP Directive), beginning in 2025 PET drinks bottles will have to contain at least 25% recycled plastic as an average for all the PET bottles issued onto the national market. Section 5 of the article requires competent EPR systems (including Corepla) to ensure that drinks bottle producers post-consumption materials are returned, setting out quotas for return and return methods, with a view to achieving recycled plastic use targets.

As a first form of compliance with this regulation, in March 2022 Corepla modified its regulations to extend the opportunity for accreditation for the sale at auction of post-consumption liquid containers in PET deriving from separate collection and separation (hereafter CPL PET) to bottlers – both Corepla consortium members and otherwise, but in any case with bottles subject to EPR fee – in specific conditions.

As this initial change neither affords bottlers effective guarantees that they will recover CPL PET, nor sets out percentage quotas as set out in the regulations cited above, Corepla is making further changes to the regulations. For the contents of the information: www.corepla.it/news/adeguamento-del-regolamento-aste-corepla/

For further details regarding the rationale behind the fee changes, please refer to the Press Release December 2024, distributed to representative associations of packaging producers and users as well as the consortium companies involved.

The lists of plastic packaging in the nine fee bands effective from April 2024 are available in the “Useful Links” section at the bottom of the page:

Brief history

2018

The technical analyses for identification of the following criteria, adopted since 2018 for fee modulation, began as early as 2015 and involved the main companies and associations representing packaging producers and users:

• sortability
• recyclability and,
• for packaging meeting the first two criteria, the main target circuit of the packaging when it becomes waste. The target circuit can be “Household” or “Commerce & Industry”. “Household” circuit packaging also includes that from “Commerce & Industry” systematically treated as household waste.

This comparison resulted in three different fee bands which, after a six-month test period, became operational on 1 January 2018:

• band A – Sortable and recyclable packaging from the “Commerce & Industry” circuit: €179.00/t
• band B – Sortable and recyclable packaging from the “Household” circuit: €208.00/t
• band C – Packaging not yet sortable/recyclable with current technologies: €228.00/t.

In the initial application phase, it was decided to adopt a gradual approach, with regard to both the packaging classifications, for which the prevailing flow logic was adopted, as well as the fee values of each band.

The lists of plastic packaging in the fee bands effective from 2018 are available in the “Useful Links” section at the bottom of the page:

2019

During 2018, with the aim of making a clearer distinction between sorted and recycled packaging solutions and those not yet having such characteristics and overcoming the prevailing flow logic, a further step forward was taken, adopting an even clearer criterion of prevention which, based on the analyses carried out, from 1 January 2019 led to an increase in the fee gap between bands and reclassification of packaging, starting with that of band B, as follows:

• band A – Sortable and recyclable packaging from the “Commerce & Industry” circuit: €150.00/t
• band B1 – Packaging from the “Household” circuit with an effective and consolidated sorting and recycling chain: €208.00/t
• band B2 – Other sortable and recyclable packaging from the “Household” circuit: €263.00/t
• band C – Packaging not sortable/recyclable with current technologies: €369.00/t.

With this approach, four different fee bands were defined for four different categories of plastic packaging and a reclassification process was started for packaging with regard to its effective sortability and recyclability, thus revisiting the prevailing flow logic which, in its initial application, was essentially aimed at simplifying application procedures.

The lists of plastic packaging in the fee bands effective from 2019 are available in the “Useful Links” section at the bottom of the page:

2020 (update following the Conai Board of Directors’ resolution of 26 November 2019)

Within the scope of the activities aimed at implementing the new fully operational model planned for 2020, with constant dialogue with the main producer and user associations (industrial and large-scale distribution), the packaging lists have been extended with new definitions and clarifications of a general nature and at the same time some types of packaging have been reallocated to different fee bands according to the results of the analyses carried out concerning their sortability and recyclability, according to known technologies already developed or in the consolidation and development phase.

These changes, operational from January 1, 2020, are also the result of overcoming the criterion of aggregation by flows or types adopted at the start of diversification. As a result, the lists have been redefined, also taking into account the increase in the average value of the modulated fee for plastic packaging, from €263/t to €330/t:

• band A – Packaging with an effective and consolidated industrial sorting and recycling chain, mainly from the “Commerce & Industry” circuit: €150.00/t
• band B1– Packaging with an effective and consolidated sorting and recycling chain, mainly from the “Household” circuit: €208.00/t
• band B2 – Packaging with an industrial sorting and recycling chain in the process of consolidation and development – from the “Household” and/or “Commerce & Industry” circuit: €436.00/t
• band C – Packaging with experimental sorting/recycling activities in progress or not sortable/recyclable with current technologies: €546.00/t

The lists of plastic packaging in the fee bands effective from 2020 are available in the “Useful Links” section at the bottom of the page:

2021 (update following the Conai Board of Directors’ resolution of 24 September 2020)

In view of, among other things, the increase in the average value of the EPR Fee for plastic packaging, from €330 to €393/t, effective 1 January 2021, the four contribution bands had the following unit values:

• band A – Packaging with an effective and consolidated industrial sorting and recycling chain, mainly from the “Commerce & Industry” circuit: €150.00/t
• band B1– Packaging with an effective and consolidated sorting and recycling chain, mainly from the “Household” circuit: €208.00/t
• band B2 – Packaging with an industrial sorting and recycling chain in the process of consolidation and development – from the “Household” and/or “Commerce & Industry” circuit: €560.00/t
• band C – Packaging with experimental sorting/recycling activities in progress or not sortable/recyclable with current technologies: €660.00/t

The lists of plastic packaging in the fee bands effective for 2021 (unchanged compared to 2020) are available in the “Useful Links” section at the bottom of the page:

The reasons behind the increases stemmed from a number of concomitant factors that occurred in 2020; reasons that were, moreover, communicated in advance to the main associations representing the categories of packaging producers and users.

2022 (update following the Conai Board of Directors’ resolution of 22 July and 14 October 2021 as well as 19 May 2022)

In September 2020, the Conai Board of Directors had undertaken to review and update the criteria and rationale for the fee modulation of plastic packaging for 2022. A commitment made both in light of what was taking place at the European level and with the aim of increasingly linking the values of the plastic EPR fee to its recyclability and the destination circuit but also to the chain deficit.

In line with this commitment, effective 1 January 2022, plastic packaging was divided into five bands (no longer four). Indeed, BAND A was split into two, A1 and A2. In the former, all packaging previously included in BAND A remained, except for flexible Polyethylene packaging that moved into BAND A2. During 2021, analyses were also continued with respect to the sortability and recyclability of certain packaging items for their more correct allocation within the contribution bands, also effective 1.1.2022.

As a result, the five fee bands for 2022 were as follows:

• band A1 – Rigid and flexible packaging with an effective and consolidated industrial sorting and recycling chain, mainly managed in the “Commerce & Industry” circuit €104.00/t (until 30.6) – €60.00/t (from 1.7)
• band A2 – Flexible packaging with an effective and consolidated industrial sorting and recycling chain, mainly from the C&I circuit but with a significant presence in municipal separate waste collection: €150.00/t. The initially planned increase to €168/t from 1 July did not come into effect, so the EPR fee value remained at €150.00/t. For packaging included in BAND A2, the continuous increase in the volumes present in municipal separate collection was confirmed, with increasing costs for consortium management. Flexible PE foam packaging with thicknesses less than or equal to 2 millimetres will be tolerated in this band;
• band B1– Packaging with an effective and consolidated sorting and recycling chain, mainly from the “Household” circuit: €149.00/t (until 30.6) – €20/t (from 1.7) An important development concerned this band: from 1 July, tethered plastic caps designed to remain integral with the plastic beverage container were moved from the current BAND B2 to BAND B1, in a separate item;
• band B2 – Other sortable/recyclable packaging from the “Household” and/or “Commerce & Industry” circuit €520.00/t (until 30.6) – €410.00/t (from 1.7) Polyethylene foam packaging with thicknesses greater than 2 millimetres and barrier layers made of EVOH are also tolerated in this band, but limited to 5% of the total weight of the packaging. In addition, the types of packaging are grouped as follows: packaging with different bands of sortability and recyclability; recyclable packaging recently introduced on the market; packaging with costly recycling and/or from which lower quality secondary raw materials are obtained; and packaging with recycling supply chains undergoing consolidation and development;
• band C – Packaging with experimental sorting/recycling activities in progress or not sortable/recyclable with current technologies: €642.00/t (until 30.6) – €560/t (from 1.7) 

The reasons behind the reductions stem from the positive performance of materials sent for recycling and the optimisation actions promoted by the Corepla Consortium on operating costs.

The lists of packaging in the 5 fee bands effective from January 2022 and July 2022 are available in the “Useful Links” section at the bottom of the page:

2023 (update following the Conai Board of Directors’ resolution of 19 May, 27 October and 24 November 2022)

Effective 1 January 2023, further segmentation of plastic packaging was deliberated.

Indeed, Conai’s twofold commitment to increasingly link EPR fee values to both the actual recyclability and destination circuit and the chain deficit, i.e., the ratio of collection, sorting and recycling costs to revenues, continued.

Below are the main changes compared to 2022:

• band A1 has been divided into two: A1.1 and A1.2, to separate items on which COREPLA recognises a fee for regeneration and recycling activities (drums and IBC tanks, which fall under band A1.2);
• band A2 has remained unchanged;
• band B1 has been segmented into B1.1 and B1.2, with the goal of separating PET items (in B1.2) from HDPE items (in B1.1);
• band B2 has been divided into three bands. Rigid polypropylene containers fall in B2.1, while polyolefin-based recyclable items fall in B2.2. On the other hand, band B2.3 has been created to accommodate packaging with experimental recycling supply chains and those under consolidation, which thus exit BAND C;
• band C remained in force for packaging not yet sortable or recyclable with current technologies.

As a result, in 2023, the nine fee bands had the following unit values:

• band A1.1: €20.00/t
• band A1.2: €60.00/t (until 30.6) – €90.00/t (from 1.7)
• band A2: €150.00/t (until 30.6) – €220.00/t (from 1.7) 
• band B1.1: €20.00/t
• band B1.2: €20.00/t
• band B2.1: €350.00/t
• band B2.2: €410.00/t (until 30.6) – €477.00/t (from 1.7)
• band B2.3: €555.00/t
• band C: €560.00/t. 

In addition to the above, the following additional changes related to certain types of plastic caps, effective 1 July 2023, were deliberated. In particular:

• Tethered(*) plastic caps referring to liquid cartons (CPLs) were reallocated from BAND B2.2 (€477.00/t) to BAND B1.1 (€20.00/t);
• HDPE plastic caps referring to BAND B1.1 or B1.2 detergent bottles and the like were reallocated from BAND B2.2 (€477.00/t) to BAND B1.1 (€20.00/t);
• PP caps if used for BAND B2.1 containers were reallocated from BAND B2.2 (€477.00/t) to BAND B2.1 (€350.00/t).

(*) These are the plastic caps that remain attached to liquid cartons (CPLs), preventing their dispersion into the environment and thus facilitating their sortability and recyclability, in accordance with Italian Legislative Decree 196 of 8 November 2021, transposing Directive 2019/904/EU (so-called SUP Directive) of 5 June 2019.

The lists of plastic packaging in the nine fee bands effective from January 2023 and July 2023 are available in the “Useful Links” section at the bottom of the page:

2024 (update following the Conai Board of Directors’ resolution of 18 December 2023)

For 2024, the nine bands in effect since 2023 remained confirmed, with values increasingly linked to the costs required to send the types of packaging included in each band for recycling.

The economic situation had led to the increase in the value of the EPR Fee for seven fee bands (out of nine) from 1 April 2024. In particular:

GROUP A

A1 – Rigid and flexible packaging with an effective and consolidated industrial sorting and recycling chain, mainly managed in the “Commerce & Industry” circuit

• band A1.1: €20.00/t (until 31.3) – €24/t (from 1.4)
• band A1.2: €90.00 /t (no increases);

A2 – Flexible packaging with an effective and consolidated industrial sorting and recycling chain, mainly from the “Commerce & Industry” circuit but with a significant presence in municipal separate waste collection

• band A2: €220.00 /t (no increases);

GROUP B

B1 – Packaging with an effective and consolidated industrial sorting and recycling chain, mainly from the “Household Circuit”

• band B1.1: €20.00/t (until 31.3) – €224/t (from 1.4)
• band B1.2: €20.00/t (until 31.3) – €233/t (from 1.4)

B2 – Other sortable/recyclable packaging from the “Household Circuit” and/or “Commerce & Industry Circuit”

• band B2.1: €350.00/t (until 31.3) – €441/t (from 1.4)
• band B2.2: €477.00/t (until 31.3) – €589/t (from 1.4)
• band B2.3: €555.00/t (until 31.3) – €650/t (from 1.4)

GROUP C

C – Packaging for which no recycling is underway or not sortable/recyclable with current technologies

• band C: €560.00/t (until 31.3) – €655/t (from 1.4)

Also starting from 1 April 2024, certain types of packaging changed band. In particular:

• XPS trays were reallocated from Band C to Band B2.3, thanks to the development of an experimental recycling chain promoted in recent years.
• rigid PP packaging with covering labels made of any polymer, regardless of the presence or absence of perforations/punching, were reallocated from Band B2.2 to Band B2.1, due to sorting process efficiencies.
• opaque PET bottles, jars, and detergent bottles and the like and/or those with non-punched covering label, as well as their preforms, were reallocated from Band B2.3 to Band B2.2, thanks to the consolidation of the recycling chain for these items.

The lists of plastic packaging in the nine fee bands effective from April 2024 are available in the “Useful Links” section at the bottom of the page:

Reduced EPR fee packaging list update

Sortability and effective recyclability evolve over time depending on the types of packaging put on the market and the new technologies introduced in sorting and recycling systems.

To monitor such developments and periodically update the list of packaging in the fee bands, Conai established at the outset a specific Permanent Technical Assessment Committee which, also with the support of industry experts, proposes to the Conai Board of Directors possible changes to the reduced category lists.

With a resolution of the Conai Board of Directors of 3 September 2020, the specific Board Working Group “Fee Modulation” was established to take over the functions of the PTAC.

Experiments 

For information on experimental sorting/recycling activities and their cases studies, please refer to the following document: “ Procedure for experimentation and related case studies”.

Forms

All the information concerning the declaration forms is available in the “Conai Guide”, published annually, notwithstanding the support of the toll-free number 800337799.

Who to contact for clarification

In the FAQ section – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – dedicated to the issue of “Fee Modulation” for plastic packaging, clarification is available on the main questions raised by companies and associations.

For any clarification or questions, in addition to the Toll-Free Number 800337799, an online form is available in the “Contacts” area, by selecting “PLASTIC Modulated Fee”.