This article applies to all four administrations

The Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging Scheme Administrator (SA) Interim Steering Group set up in February 2024, was formed to bring together representatives across the value chain directly affected by the scheme. The group’s role is to shape the operational design, implementation and strategic direction of the SA ahead of its appointment. 

The group has met regularly over the past seven months to ensure stakeholder perspectives have been taken into account through the set-up of the Scheme Administrator, ahead of its launch in January 2025.           

The Steering Group has provided considered recommendations on key elements of the scheme, including staffing structure, the approach to fee modulation, customer support, the determination of efficient and effective local authority service, the update to Recycling Assessment Methodology, greater integration and the representation of producers.                

Stakeholder working groups 

Stakeholder working groups have been established to focus on key areas, including the approach to fee modulation, customer support, efficient and effective local authority delivery, and how to ensure the Recycling Assessment Methodology (RAM) is kept up to date. The steering group members also play a key role in ensuring that their members are aware of their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations and continue to report packaging data as required.              

Scheme Administrator Steering Group - members 

Independent Chair: Sebastian Munden  

Sebastian Munden was chief executive of Unilever UK & Ireland for five years until 2022. In this role Sebastian was one of the founding signatories to the UK Plastic Pact in 2018. He has over 30 years’ experience in the consumer products industry around the world, creating brands with commercial success, while simultaneously focusing on producers' responsibilities to society and the planet. He is Chair of the board for Campden BRI, the food science organisation, and WRAP the global circular economy Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). 

Head of the Scheme Administrator: Dr Margaret Bates  

Dr Margaret Bates was appointed to the role of head for the UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging Scheme Administrator in January 2024. Prior to her appointment at Defra, Margaret was the Managing Director of On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL), the organisation dedicated to helping businesses with consistent UK-wide recycling and refill messages to appear on packs. Margaret has been President of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, is a Chartered Waste Manager, an International Wastes Manager, a Chartered Environmentalist, and a Fellow of IOM3. 

Government Officials 

Rhodri Asby (Welsh Government)  

Rhodri Asby has over 20 years’ experience working in Welsh Government, with his current role being Deputy Director for Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy. He has a BA in Natural Sciences from the University of Bath. 

Dexter Davis (Defra for England)  

Dex Davis is the Deputy Director responsible for delivery of the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) service. Dex’s career spans a range of strategy, sustainability and major project delivery roles in the private and public sector. He joined the civil service (DExEU) in 2017 to help develop and oversee the EU Exit delivery portfolio and joined Defra in 2019.  

Shane Dorris (DAERA of Northern Ireland)  

Shane Dorris is the Director of Environmental Resources Policy within the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in NI. In addition to Resources and Waste, the division covers work on environmental governance including close engagement with the Office for Environmental Protection. Shane joined the NI Civil Service in 2023, following over 20 years’ experience in the construction industry, holding commercial and operational director roles. 

David McPhee (Scottish Government)  

David McPhee is currently the Deputy Director for Circular Economy in the Scottish Government. He has held roles in government for over 20 years, with a brief stint in the Department for International Development. He has a degree in statistics from the University of Glasgow. 

Local Authority representation (Local Government Associations) 

Silke Isbrand (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities – COSLA) 

Silke Isbrand is the Policy Manager in COSLA with responsibility for developing policy across the net zero agenda, as well as waste, recycling and circular economy. She has previously headed up the COSLA Brussels Office and worked in European affairs and community wellbeing. COSLA is the political voice of the 32 Scottish local authorities. 

Craig Mitchell (Welsh Local Government Association – WLGA)  

Following a career working in central and local government across Scotland, England and Wales focussed on housing and corporate policy, Craig has been with the Welsh Local Government Association for the last 20 years. Previous policy responsibilities include social services, housing, finance, environment, climate change, economic development and transport.  

Currently Head of Sustainable Development managing the Welsh Government funded Waste Improvement Team within WLGA which collects and analyses data and insight into waste services across the 22 Welsh councils, and the local government climate change support programme. 

Eamon Lally (Local Government Association – LGA)  

Eamon Lally is the Principal Policy adviser at the Local Government Association. Eamon brings a wealth of public sector experience to this role, from his previous positions leading improvement at the Improvement & Development agency and as head of corporate policy at London Southwark. 

Karen Smyth (Northern Ireland Local Government Association – NILGA)  

Karen Smyth has been employed with NILGA since 2002, first in a policy capacity and then in her current capacity of Head of Policy and governance since 2017. With an emphasis on strategic effect, Karen oversees spearheading the creation and application of the governance and policy frameworks that support NILGA's policy aims. Karen has 30 years’ experience in local government. 

Businesses/Producers 

Luke Emery (Aldi)  

Luke Emery began his career at Aldi as an Area Manager and is now Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi UK. He has a BSc from University of Birmingham. 

Karen Graley (Marks & Spencer)  

Karen Graley is Packaging Innovation and Delivery Manager at Marks & Spencer and one of the original Directors of OPRL, serving on the board since 2009. Karen is a member of the Government’s Advisory Committee on Packaging. Karen started her career on the design team at Safeway’s Stores having grown up around print, starting with summer jobs in her father’s print factory in Liverpool as a teenager. 

Sokhna Gueye (Nestlé)  

Sokhna Gueye, Head of Packaging for Nestlé UK & Ireland, oversees the packaging team's efforts to provide all product categories with packaging that is secure, legal, practical, and eco-friendly. In Sokhna's role, she has lots of variety she visits recycling plants, packaging suppliers, retailers, and her own facilities. She collaborates with governments on packaging regulations and industry peers on overcoming the challenges we face, such as the collection and recycling of flexible packaging.   

Jim Bligh (Food and Drink Federation – FDF) 

Jim is Director of Corporate Affairs and Packaging at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF). He leads the FDF's political engagement, and its policy work on packaging. Jim works across the FDF's priority campaigns, ensuring the food and drink industry is well-represented in governments around the UK. He has led government affairs for some of the UK's leading brands, including PepsiCo, TCS, Manpower and the Confederation of British Industry. He has extensive experience of working with stakeholders in business, government and the media to communicate and bring about positive policy change. 

Andrew Tighe (British Beer and Pub Association)  

Andy Tighe was appointed as director of Strategy and Policy at the British Beer and Pub Association in 2020. He joined the BBPA as an economist in 1998, moving to a senior policy role in the brewing department in 2000 and then became the BBPA’s first Policy Director in December 2012. In 2015 Andy oversaw the creation of the BBPA’s own not-for-profit packaging waste compliance scheme and is also the current brewing industry lead on Deposit Return Schemes.   

Paul Vanston (Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment – INCPEN)  

Paul Vanston became Chief Executive of INCPEN in May 2017 following 26 years in central and local government. Paul is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.  Member of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management.  Member of the Green Alliance. Member of the DRS Industry Forum. Founder, supporter of the UK Plastics Pact. Member of the UK Government’s Resources & Waste Advisory Group. 

Talia Goldman (Colpac)  

Talia Goldman is the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Manager at Colpac where she leads on multiple strategic projects including net zero and deforestation free supply chains. She has worked in multiple roles across political communication, campaigning, and sustainability, including at the European Parliament and in the Cabinet Office advising on the UK’s COP26 nature policy priorities and campaign. She sits on the Boards of UK Youth for Nature and Global Canopy. Talia has first-class degrees in BA French and Russian from the University of Bristol and MSC Environment, Politics and Society from UCL. 

Ian Percival (British Retail Consortium – BRC)  

Ian Percival works part-time as a Director and Company Secretary for the BRC. He has a wealth of retail experience gained from a career spent in the home shopping sector in Chief Executive and Finance Director roles and more recently as a part-time Investor Chair and adviser to some start-up companies. 

Irasema Hernandez Elvira (Roche)  

Irasema Elvira is the Safety, Security, Health and Environmental Manager at Roche, with over 20 years’ experience in the environmental sector. Irasema holds a chemical engineering degree from the Universidad Tecnologica de Mexico 

Catherine Marston (Booker)  

Catherine Marston is the Head of Sustainability at Booker with over 38 years' experience in waste management, sustainable packaging and recycling.  

Robbie Staniforth (Ecosurety)  

Robbie Staniforth has 13 years’ experience in the waste and recycling sector and as Innovation and Policy Director he is now directly responsible for Ecosurety's growing portfolio of cross-industry innovation projects including Podback and the Flexible Plastic Fund. After playing a key role in the setup of the Packaging Scheme Forum in 2018, he held the position of inaugural Chair for three years and last month he was invited to join the government’s Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP). 

Joe Muscat (Haleon)  

Joe Muscat graduated with a BSc and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Manchester before joining Unilever in 2002 to lead Research & Development (R&D) teams in developing the next generation of products that were both loved by consumers, as well as being more sustainable. Joe is passionate about the role science and technology can play to find sustainable solutions and the power of collaboration to make these come alive with Haleon’s consumers.  

Waste Management 

Corinna Reynolds (Veolia) 

Corinna Reynolds is a well-known industry leader with a wealth of experience across both the public and private sectors. Currently leading the Corporate Affairs department of the UK’s leading resource management company, Veolia. Corinna will bring her expertise across policy, sustainability and environmental services to the Steering Group. 

Environmental non-governmental organisations – NGOs (job share) 

Paula Chin (World Wide Fund for Nature, UK – WWF)  

Paula Chin joined the WWF (UK) in 2019 as part of the specialist technical team supporting the ambitious Tesco partnership. She has over 20 years’ experience in the packaging industry, working in manufacturing, design, with Proctor & Gamble and in food retail with Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Prêt. She is the current Chair of the Wildlife and Countryside Link’s Resources and Waste Working Group, an adviser on UKRI’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Fund and sits on several government and industry working groups addressing this broad topic. 

Libby Peake (Green Alliance) 

Libby Peake joined Green Alliance in May 2017 as a senior policy adviser in the resources theme and is now the head of resource policy, leading our project work on resource efficiency and the circular economy. Libby’s areas of expertise include the circular economy, marine plastics, energy from waste, household waste and recycling collections, food waste, and the sharing economy. She holds a BA in English Literature and Anthropology from McGill University in Montreal and an MA in English Literary Studies from Durham University. 

For further information, please email the group. 

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