PackUK published the latest update to the Recyclability Assessment Methodology, RAM 2027, on 1 July 2026, the framework that decides whether a piece of household packaging is rated red, amber or green under the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility scheme (PackUK, July 2026). That rating is not a marketing label. It directly sets the fee a producer pays, with red rated packaging attracting a multiplier that climbs from 1.2x in 2026/27 towards 2.0x by 2028/29.
This piece sets out what a genuine green rating actually requires, since the bar is higher than many producers assume.
What the Four Assessment Stages Actually Check
RAM assesses packaging across four separate stages, collection, sortation, reprocessing and application, and every single stage has to score green for the overall packaging to be rated green. A result of amber or green at every stage still only earns an overall amber rating unless all four are green, and a red result at any one stage makes the whole item red regardless of how well it performs elsewhere.
What Triggers an Automatic Red Rating
Certain packaging is rated red automatically without going through the full four stage assessment, including packaging with integrated electrical components, intentionally added PFAS, non-compliant inks, and chemicals of concern. That automatic red rule means a label’s ink and coating choices can single-handedly determine the packaging’s fee rating, independent of how recyclable the base material itself is.
Is There a Way Back from an Amber or Red Rating
For flexible plastic packaging specifically, a rating can be upgraded if a producer can demonstrate the packaging is collected and recycled through an approved take-back scheme, giving formats that would otherwise struggle under standard kerbside collection assumptions a route to a better rating. That upgrade path does not apply universally across every material category, so producers need to check whether their specific packaging type qualifies rather than assuming a take-back scheme is a general fix.
RAM assessments also have to be resubmitted as the methodology itself is updated each reporting cycle, meaning a green rating secured under one version of the guidance is not guaranteed to carry over automatically once a revised version, such as RAM 2027, takes effect for the next reporting year.
What This Means for Label Choices
Since ink and coating compliance can trigger an automatic red rating on their own, label specification is not a peripheral detail in a RAM assessment, it is one of the factors that can decide the outcome. Producers reviewing their packaging ahead of their next EPR submission should check label inks and coatings against RAM’s automatic-red criteria specifically, rather than assuming the base packaging material’s recyclability is the only variable that matters.