Plastics processors seek unchanged environmental-fee coefficients for 2027

An industry association warned of higher costs. Russia’s Natural Resources Ministry said the system prioritises waste recycling rather than collecting payments.

The Union of Plastics Processors sent an appeal to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev on October 6. RBC reported the letter and the ministry’s response on October 13. The union wants higher environmental-fee coefficients held at their current-year levels. No postponement decision has been announced.

The union estimates its members’ combined financial burden would increase by 122% for polypropylene, 108% for cardboard packaging and roughly 131% for other plastic packaging in 2027. These are industry estimates, rather than uniform packaging price increases. It says retail-chain constraints and regulation of socially important goods would hamper passing the costs on.

The extended producer responsibility system envisages full responsibility for packaging recycling by 2027. Businesses can arrange recycling themselves, hire recyclers or pay the environmental fee. Higher coefficients reflect factors including difficulties in recovering and processing waste. Their increase was postponed for 2026.

Union director Pyotr Bazunov cited insufficient recovery of used packaging from municipal waste and underused recycling facilities. He argued that these constraints prevent companies from meeting their obligations through recycling and force them to pay the fee.

The Natural Resources Ministry told RBC it had not received the union’s appeal. It said actual waste recycling was the state’s priority. Food industry associations made a separate appeal against rate increases in May. The processors’ latest request does not mean the 2027 parameters have already been changed.