RAM Assessment: What to Ask Your Packaging Suppliers

October 30th, 2026

RAM assessments start with reliable packaging data

For packaging producers, a robust RAM assessment starts with reliable packaging data. Having completed the hard work on their 2025 data, including Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) assessments for the first time, producers are now waiting to see how this is reflected in their pEPR notice of liability.

No more can be done in 2025, but 2026 data is still live and many producers will already be planning ahead for 2027.

We spoke to Tracey Joyce, Data Services Delivery Manager at ERP UK, to capture practical learnings from her team’s work supporting hundreds of UK packaging producers with their EPR data.

What packaging producers are learning from RAM assessments

Obtaining data is not the same as obtaining reliable, high-quality data. While some information may be readily available, its value depends on its accuracy, completeness and reliability.

This is often the most significant challenge producers encounter when applying the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM).

RAM is the framework for assessing how recyclable packaging is in practice under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging and is appliable to large producers with household packaging.

RAM is designed to assess packaging based on whether it can be collected, sorted and reprocessed through the UK’s recycling infrastructure, rather than if the material is technically recyclable.

Ask suppliers questions that produce usable RAM evidence

Producers, particularly those purchasing goods from overseas suppliers who may be unfamiliar with the UK's requirements, may find the initial discussions are focused on explaining why the information is required and how it will be used. Simply asking whether the packaging is recyclable or not will not give producers enough to work with, nor provide sufficient evidence to support RAM scoping.

Data collection templates should align with the latest RAM guidance, ensuring that all five stages and relevant questions are taken into consideration.

The approach should start with classification: what is the component, what material is it made from, and does it need to be assessed on its own or with other parts of the pack? A label that stays attached can affect the assessment of the packaging it is on, so the description needs to cover the finished pack.

Your direct supplier may not hold all the answers

Obtaining the necessary information may require engaging one, two or even three levels of the supply chain beyond the business you purchase from. Some suppliers operate as distributors, moving goods through the supply chain; without manufacturing the packaging themselves and do not hold its technical information. They may need to contact the product manufacturer, who in turn may need to gather information from their packaging supplier.

Clear reporting expectations across the supply chain are important. Producers hold the commercial relationship with their suppliers and are often best placed to explain why the information is needed, establish what must be provided and make sure requests reach the business that holds the technical detail.

This is also why we want our customers involved. ERP UK Data Services team can make the enquiries and work through the technical questions, but customers hold the commercial relationship with their suppliers. They are therefore well placed to help establish clear reporting needs and expectations across their supply chains.

Producers should allow time for those conversations. If your supplier cannot answer a question, establish whether it needs to ask another business, rather than assuming the information does not exist. And when a specification changes, make sure that news reaches the people looking after your RAM data as well as the people buying the packaging.

Check supplier data before relying on it

Data should be reviewed before carrying out the assessment to ensure the responses are accurate and consistent with the specific packaging format. Completing every field does not necessarily mean the information provided is accurate or sufficient for a robust assessment.

A supplier may already have a recyclability assessment, but understanding what it covers and whether it answers the relevant RAM questions is important.

The requirement to support the assessment is clear, but a document's title alone does not tell you whether it establishes what you need to know about your packaging.

Keep the source information with a record of how you reached the rating. Someone reviewing it should be able to follow the assessment back to the packaging specification and the supplier's answers. Supporting records must be retained for seven years; they do not routinely accompany the data return, but regulators can ask to see them.

RAM 2027 builds on the work you have already done

Producers have put a lot of work into building up their RAM data and understanding. There was understandable concern that the next version could bring changes so extensive that everyone would have to start again. From our review, that is not what we are seeing, which is reassuring: RAM 2027 builds on RAM V1.1 rather than replacing it with an entirely new framework.

There are changes to get to grips with, particularly around some coatings used on paper, board and labels. These include PVC and PVDC coatings, and silicone coatings on paper labels. If those changes affect your packaging, you may need to go back to the supplier for more details about the coating before making an assessment under the new guidance.

Our guide to the RAM2027 changes explains the detail. Start with the information you already hold and look at which changes affect your packaging. That will help you focus those supplier conversations on what is missing.

A green RAM rating needs evidence behind it

One of the more challenging conversations can be with companies that are convinced their packaging should be rated as green. They may be right about its recyclability, but without sufficient evidence to support that assessment, it cannot be reported as green. Where the evidence is insufficient, the packaging must be classified as red.

That makes it worth understanding why something is red. Does the packaging trigger a red criterion, or are you missing information needed to establish its rating? Chasing a supplier cannot change the composition of a pack, but it can resolve an unanswered question about it.

There is a growing cost to leaving those questions unanswered. Red-rated household packaging attracts a higher disposal fee: 20 per cent above the relevant base fee in 2026/27, rising to double that base fee by 2028/29 under PackUK's published fee policy. That makes it all the more important to establish whether a red rating reflects the packaging itself or a gap in your information.

If you have reported packaging as red because you did not have the information to assess it, I would encourage you to revisit that. Work with your suppliers to establish what can be evidenced, then discuss any necessary corrections with your compliance scheme or regulator. An expectation that the pack should be green is not enough to change the return.

Need help with your RAM assessments?

Working through RAM guidance, gathering reliable technical information and chasing missing evidence through several levels of a supply chain can be time-consuming, particularly when RAM has been added to an already busy role.

ERP UK can take that workload off your team. Our Full RAM Data Service gathers supplier information, checks the evidence and carries out the assessments for you. If you already hold the data and want to complete assessments in-house, our subscription-based LAMB service gives you access to ERP UK’s RAM Checking Tool, with results you can download and retain. Whichever route you choose, a sound assessment methodology and robust supporting information remain essential: the output is only as good as the input.

If you are considering different packaging options, ERP UK can also assess them and help you understand how each option could affect your fees, giving you a clearer view of the costs alongside the other requirements for your product.

Talk to our Data Services team about our RAM support Do not let missing or incomplete supplier information drive a red rating and higher disposal fees unnecessarily. Talk to ERP UK’s Data Services team about RAM support. We can help you identify evidence gaps, work through supplier questions and turn the information into robust RAM assessments, giving your business greater confidence in the ratings it reports and the fees it pays.