Product Compliance & Sustainability Lead

People Marketing Fashion Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Brand Group is seeking a Product Compliance & Sustainability Manager to own and drive regulatory obligations across the UK and European markets. You will develop and manage EPR/PPWR compliance, digital product passport initiatives, and sustainability programs, collaborating with external partners and internal stakeholders.

You will lead registrations, reporting, and governance, building processes from the ground up while managing multiple projects and ensuring timely deliverables.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience in a similar role.
• Experience supporting or managing EPR, packaging compliance or environmental compliance programmes.
• Strong understanding of UK packaging regulations and producer responsibility requirements.
• Experience with European compliance and environmental legislation.
• Experience dealing with regulatory bodies, compliance schemes or external consultants.
• Ability to interpret legislation and translate requirements into practical business processes.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent analytical and reporting capabilities.
• Advanced Excel and data management skills.
• Comfortable working independently and building a function from the ground up.
• Experience within consumer products, apparel, footwear, sporting goods, retail or FMCG sectors.
• Knowledge of EU Packaging & Packaging Waste legislation (PPWR), EPR, and emerging sustainability regulations.
• Experience with textiles, fashion, sporting goods or branded merchandise.
• Understanding of Digital Product Passport (DPP) and related product stewardship initiatives.
• Experience developing corporate sustainability programmes or ESG initiatives.
• Experience implementing compliance systems and reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage the group's compliance obligations across the UK and European markets.
• Ensure compliance with EPR, PPWR and packaging regulations, where applicable.
• Manage registrations, declarations and reporting requirements with regulatory authorities and compliance schemes.
• Act as primary contact for external product compliance providers.
• Establish systems for collecting, validating and reporting packaging and product compliance data.
• Monitor regulatory developments and assess business impacts.
• Provide updates to the Group Compliance Committee and senior leadership.
• Develop packaging governance standards across the business.
• Develop and implement the sustainability roadmap.
• Identify opportunities to reduce packaging waste and support circular economy initiatives.
• Establish sustainability metrics and reporting processes.
• Support customer sustainability requests, questionnaires and audits.

Skills

Project management

Analytical skills

Excel skills

Data management

Independent working

Tools

Regulatory reporting tools

Job description

I am closely working with an ever-growing Brand Group, who are looking to hire an additional role into their team.

The role of Product Compliance, Sustainability Manager will have overall responsibility for ensuring the business meets its regulatory obligations relating to packaging, environmental compliance, product stewardship and sustainability across all markets in which we operate.

You will develop the compliance framework, manage registrations and reporting requirements, work closely with external compliance partners, suppliers and internal stakeholders, and ensure the business remains ahead of emerging UK and EU legislation, together with evolving customer and marketplace compliance requirements.

This is a hands-on standalone role; it requires a practical and hands-on approach.

The successful candidate must be equally comfortable developing strategy, understanding and implementing regulatory requirements, managing external advisors, coordinating multiple stakeholders, removing blockers and driving projects through to completion whilst also completing detailed administrative submissions and reporting.

This role can be based out of their Central London, Watford or Southend on Sea office locations.

Product Compliance & Sustainability Manager- The Role:

Regulatory Compliance

• Own and manage the group's compliance obligations across the UK and European markets.
• Ensure compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), where applicable, schemes and packaging regulations.
• Ensure compliance with Digital Product Passport (DPP) and other emerging product compliance legislation, including the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), where applicable.
• Manage registrations, declarations and reporting requirements with regulatory authorities and compliance schemes.
• Act as the primary contact for external product compliance providers including Wastepack, Trimco and equivalent European partners.
• Establish systems and processes for collecting, validating and reporting packaging and product compliance data.
• Monitor regulatory developments and assess business impacts.
• Provide regular updates and recommendations to the Group Compliance Committee (CompCo) and senior leadership.

Packaging Compliance

• Review current EPR packaging specifications against EPR, PPWR and ensure compliance with any other applicable country requirements.
• Support the development of compliant and sustainable packaging solutions.
• Work with suppliers and product development teams to reduce environmental impact whilst maintaining commercial viability.
• Maintain documentation demonstrating compliance with packaging legislation.
• Develop packaging governance standards across the business.

Sustainability & Environmental Programmes

• Develop and implement the company's sustainability roadmap.
• Identify opportunities to reduce packaging waste, improve recyclability and support circular economy initiatives.
• Establish sustainability metrics and reporting processes.
• Support customer sustainability requests, questionnaires and audits.
• Drive continuous improvement programmes throughout the supply chain.

Product & Market Compliance

• Maintain awareness of broader product-related legislation impacting sportswear, apparel, accessories and related products.
• Liaise with suppliers regarding product testing, certifications and compliance documentation.
• Support due diligence requirements across UK and European markets.
• Ensure records are maintained to support customer and regulatory audits.
• Support the implementation and ongoing development of Digital Product Passport (DPP), product testing frameworks, supplier onboarding requirements and other Group product compliance initiatives.

Governance & Risk Management

• Create and maintain product compliance policies, procedures and controls.
• Conduct internal product compliance reviews and risk assessments.
• Develop training and awareness programmes for internal stakeholders.
• Build a compliance calendar covering all reporting deadlines and regulatory obligations.
• Manage external audits and inspections where required.
• Support the administration of the Group Compliance Committee (CompCo), including maintaining action trackers, governance records and compliance documentation.

Administration & Reporting

• Prepare and submit, through for external product compliance providers, regulatory returns and declarations.
• Maintain compliance databases and records.
• Coordinate data collection from suppliers, logistics providers and internal departments.
• Produce regular management reports and compliance dashboards.
• Ensure all filings are completed accurately and on time.
• Maintain the Group compliance repository, ensuring policies, supporting documentation and regulatory evidence remain current and readily accessible.

Product Compliance & Sustainability Manager- The Role:

• 10+ years of relevant experience in a similar role.
• Experience supporting or managing EPR, packaging compliance or environmental compliance programmes.
• Strong understanding of UK packaging regulations and producer responsibility requirements.
• Experience working with, or exposure to, European compliance and environmental legislation.
• Experience dealing with regulatory bodies, compliance schemes or external consultants.
• Ability to interpret legislation and translate requirements into practical business processes.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent analytical and reporting capabilities.
• Advanced Excel and data management skills.
• Comfortable working independently and building a function from the ground up.
• Experience within consumer products, apparel, footwear, sporting goods, retail or FMCG sectors.
• Knowledge of EU Packaging & Packaging Waste legislation Regulation (PPWR), Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and emerging sustainability regulations.
• Experience with textiles, fashion, sporting goods or branded merchandise.
• Understanding of broader product compliance frameworks including Digital Product Passport (DPP) and related product stewardship initiatives.
• Experience developing corporate sustainability programmes or ESG initiatives.
• Experience implementing compliance systems and reporting tools.

We regret that due to the high amount of interest that we receive for each of our vacancies, if you do not hear from one of our consultants within 5 days then unfortunately you have not been shortlisted for this role.