Sustainability and regulations

All private rental properties in Scotland must have an EPC rating of E or above by 31 March 2022.

EPC rating of D or above at the change of tenancy from 1 April 2022.

From April 2022, there’ll be a tax on plastic packaging that contains less than 30% recycled content.

All new builds in England – including houses, supermarkets and workplaces – must have electric vehicle charging points. 

From January 2023, under the packaging waste regulations, the new External Producer Responsibility system (EPR) will set new targets for recycling packaging. This will replace the current Packaging Recovery Note system (PRN).

From January 2023, the Deposit Returns System (DRS) for drinks containers will be introduced across England and Wales. 

From January 2023, the legislation for ensuring consistency in household and business recycling collections will standardise waste collections across England, which could lead to changes to product labelling. 

From October 2023, single-use plastics will be banned in England. This includes single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers.

Commercial leases in England and Wales will need to be rated E or above by 2023.

The UK government will stop the sale of fluorescent lightbulbs from September 2023. They expect the switch to LED lighting to prevent 1.26 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually and save consumers £75 each per year.

The move builds on September 2021’s ban on the sale of most halogen lightbulbs.

By 2030, all commercial rented buildings must have improved the building to an EPC of B or above, or registered a valid exemption.

The UK government will stop the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK by 2035.

The UK government will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel heavy goods vehicles from 2040 and smaller diesel trucks from 2035.

All new petrol and diesel heavy goods vehicles will be banned from 2040 and larger ones, weighing more than 26 tonnes, will be banned earlier, if possible.

Find out how your supply chains will need to change to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Understand how consumers are changing their behaviour to become more sustainable and what this means for your business.

Learn how you can get started on your journey towards a more sustainable business.