Industrial packaging manufacturer WERIT UK Ltd is reducing plastic use across its product range through engineering-led design, as the UK’s plastic packaging tax increased by 2.3% from April 2026, putting additional cost pressure on manufacturers.

In April this year, the tax rose to £228.82 per tonne from £223.69, applying to plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content. The increase adds to growing costs and regulatory challenges for businesses already dealing with volatile polymer prices and supply chain uncertainties.

In response, WERIT concentrates on design-led material reduction, allowing customers to use less plastic per unit while maintaining performance, compliance, and operational reliability.

At its production facility in Irlam, WERIT has created packaging designs that eliminate up to 50 grams of plastic per container, without sacrificing structural integrity or load performance. In high-volume production, this results in tens of tonnes of plastic saved each year, with some programmes reaching up to 35 tonnes annually.

The approach combines advanced multi-layer blow-moulding technology with specialised mould design expertise, enabling WERIT to optimise wall thickness, material distribution, and strength in every product.

Sunny Prakash, Managing Director of WERIT UK Ltd, said: “Plastic tax increases are forcing manufacturers to rethink packaging at a fundamental level. The most immediate and effective way to respond is to reduce material at source. Through design and engineering, we are helping customers lower material use, manage cost pressures and maintain the performance standards their operations depend on.”

Alongside lightweighting, WERIT is promoting the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) material in multi-layer packaging designs. By incorporating recycled content into the mid-layer of containers, the company helps customers surpass the 30% threshold needed to avoid plastic packaging tax, while maintaining structural integrity and product safety. This design-oriented approach reduces both material consumption and tax liability, offering a commercially viable solution for manufacturers facing rising polymer costs and growing regulatory pressures.

This combination of material reduction and PCR integration offers a dual benefit: reducing overall polymer use while ensuring compliance with plastic packaging tax requirements.

The lightweighting programme also provides broader environmental and operational benefits. Less material use decreases embedded carbon per unit and enhances transport efficiency by reducing the total shipment weight across pallet loads.

The emphasis on design mirrors a wider shift across industrial packaging, where cost, compliance, and sustainability are becoming more interconnected.

“Recycling remains important, but it is only part of the solution,” added Prakash. “The biggest gains come from better design. If you reduce the amount of material used in the first place, you immediately reduce cost, carbon and reliance on raw materials.”

WERIT operates from its expanded 10,000 m² production facility in Irlam, Greater Manchester, where investment in automation and advanced multi-layer blow-moulding technology supports efficient, high-performance industrial packaging. The company supplies customers across the food and beverage, chemical and petrochemical sectors, including KTC Edibles, Univar Solutions, Kerry Group, GreenChem, Libra Speciality Chemicals and Autosmart International.