Did you know you can change your PRN compliance scheme?

Before switching, you should ask yourself a few questions to make sure you’re making the right decision:

• Has your scheme helped you to calculate your data?
• Can they answer any complex questions about your obligation?
• Did they provide you with a budget or target cost for your future obligations?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, it’s probably time you considered switching your compliance scheme.

Similar to your energy or phone contracts, it’s always worth a shop around once your compliance scheme contract is coming to an end to see if you can switch to a better deal. If your provider isn’t giving you the best level of service or is leaving you with high costs, you could be getting a better deal elsewhere. Your new scheme should be able to give you a full review of your obligation to check that you haven’t been under or overpaying.

Switching is a big decision. So, it’s important that you consider every aspect and option before you make the changeover. The first thing to consider is how often will they purchase your PRNs? Some compliance schemes will buy their PRNs quarterly. This often costs more than reactive purchasing as prices will constantly fluctuate. It’s better to look for a scheme that offers reactive purchasing for PRNs. This means they’ll purchase your PRNs at the lowest costs for you.

It’s also worth looking into whether they can help you calculate your obligation correctly. With the new changes put in place with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), it’s more important than ever that your obligations are calculated correctly. One small error in calculation could leave your business with hefty fines for non-compliance. Check whether the scheme will give you a full audit or just a simple ‘desktop audit’. This may be lower in costs in the beginning, but, especially if you’re a large producer, this could cost more in the long run.

You should also consider the level of support and customer service you’ll receive with your new scheme. Will you receive a personal account manager to help you with any of your queries? Will you receive support to calculate your data or live PRN market updates? These are all key to make sure you’re staying up to date with all things EPR and PRNs. With the new scheme, there are constantly changes and updates. You’ll need to stay informed of these to keep compliant so it’s important that your supplier can offer this.

Once you’ve made the decision to switch and decided on your new compliance scheme, you can initiate the process. You’ll need to send a resignation email to your current scheme before September 30^th. This lets them know that you’ll be moving to another provider. From then, you can let your new chosen supplier know that you’ve made the switch and they can begin the rest of the process for you.

When you choose Flame UK to keep your business compliant with EPR, you’ll be given a dedicated account manager. They’ll be available 24/7 to make sure that your business is fully compliant and on hand to help you with any queries you might have. We offer a full free consultation to establish your business’ obligation and outline the costs you should be expecting. For PRN purchases, we don’t purchase quarterly but reactively to keep your costs as low as possible.

Navigating EPR can be tricky. This is where Flame UK comes in. We’re on hand to keep your business fully compliant with the Packaging Waste Regulations at the lowest possible costs for your business. Contact our team today to learn more about how Flame UK can support your business.