RAM stands for Recyclability Assessment Methodology. It's the UK government's system for rating how recyclable a piece of packaging actually is. Every component you place on the market, a bottle, a label, a lid, a pouch, gets assessed and given one of three ratings.
The current version, RAM 2027, applies to packaging placed on the market from 1 January 2027, published by Defra and PackUK on 2 July 2026. If you're reporting 2026 data, you still use the previous version, RAM v1.1.
Why the rating now costs you real money
Since 2025, UK producers have paid EPR disposal fees based on the packaging they place on the market. What changed is that fees are now modulated by RAM rating. Red-rated packaging costs more than green, for the exact same material and weight, and the gap widens every year on a published schedule.
How the assessment works
RAM assesses packaging at four stages: collection, sortation, reprocessing, and application. A component has to pass every stage to earn green. Fail at any single stage, and it drops to amber or red for the whole assessment.
A few examples that catch people out:
- Plastic films, pouches and flexible packaging can never be rated green, only amber (with take-back scheme evidence) or red.
- Carbon black plastic blocks the sorting equipment from detecting it, so it's automatically rated red, regardless of the material underneath.
- A label glued permanently to a glass jar inherits the jar's rating. The same label sold separately would be assessed, and rated, on its own.
- Fibre-based composites, liquid cartons for example, can never reach green. The best they can achieve is amber.
What this means for your packaging
If any part of your range uses flexible plastic, laminates, dark-pigmented plastic, or composite materials, some of it is likely red-rated without you knowing. Government data shows roughly 45% of currently reported plastic packaging is red-rated nationally.
On meaningful volume, the difference between red and green can run into thousands of pounds a year, and that gap grows every year through 2028.
See your own packaging's rating and fee forecast, free for 14 days. No card needed.
Start your free trialSources: RAM 2027 materials assessment guidance, GOV.UK, updated 2 July 2026. PackUK producer disposal fees modulation statement, GOV.UK, updated 17 February 2026.