Plastic Packaging Tax & Vygon UK

Here at Vygon UK we are actively working with key industry partners, manufactures, and suppliers to adhere to these new regulations and mitigate any affects to our customers.

Vygon UK & the UK Plastic Packaging Tax

1. Tax is applicable at point of import and not at point of sale in UK . Therefore, Vygon UK as the importer are liable for the plastic packaging tax and are required to submit quarterly figures to HMRC.
2. The Plastic Packaging Tax is applicable from 1st April 2022 and reported quarterly, with the first tax payment due in July 2022 covering the period April, May & June.
3. Vygon UK have responsibility to collate details of plastic packaging, weights and dimensions for the imported products. These figures are based on plastic component content, for example weights of outer wraps, bags, plastic trays etc. A ‘packaging component’ is a product that is designed to be suitable for use, whether alone or in combination with other products, in the containment, protection, handling, delivery or presentation of goods at any stage in the supply chain.
4. If plastic packaging contains 30% or more recycled content, it is exempt from the tax.
5. Packaging used to protect goods while in shipment, such as shrink wrap used on pallets is exempt from the tax.
6. Medical devices are not being classed as a ‘medicinal product’ and therefore the plastic packaging of Vygon devices are liable under the plastic tax.
7. Vygon UK have a responsibility to perform due diligence checks on UK product suppliers. We have contacted suppliers to conform their awareness of the tax and the requirement to report Plastic Packaging figures to HMRC on a quarterly basis.

Green Initiatives at Vygon UK & Vygon Group

At Vygon we are very conscious of the need to be sustainable in our practice. As of November 2021, Vygon UK achieved a significant milestone by gaining Carbon Neutrality Certification. Find out more about our Carbon Neutral Status 

Many green initiatives have been launched across the business, including:

• A 48% reduction in electricity-related emissions in the last three years.
• The installation of Solar PV Panels of our headquarters.
• The use of 100% recycled boxes in our warehouse and recycling of all packaging materials.
• During the last 18 months new Company Fleet vehicles have average emissions of 30g/km, supporting the move away from petrol/diesel to hybrids and ultimately to electric vehicles & fleet.
• Replacement of existing Warehouse & Office lighting with LED.
• In November 2021, staff started to create an on-site orchard by planting 20 fruit trees, in 2022 further trees will be planted as we develop the orchard.

Initiatives within the Vygon Group Include:

• Adoption of an Eco-Design approach to packaging, by optimising the size and number of layers of packaging, reducing the environmental impact of our medical devices.
• Re-development work at Vygon Headquarters in France, included the installation of a grass covered roof and harvesting of rainwater for use in toilets.
• Installation of an energy efficient centralised technical management system for air handling units and boilers reduced gas consumption by 20%.