Guidance

Extended producer responsibility for packaging: example file for packaging data

If you need to submit packaging data under extended producer responsibility for packaging this example file shows how you must structure your data.

Documents

Details

If you’re an organisation that supplies packaging to consumers and businesses in the UK, you may have to take action to comply with extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging.

You may need to collect and submit data about packaging you’ve supplied through the UK market, or any filled packaging you have imported, emptied and discarded in the UK.

Find out if you need to collect and report your packaging data.

If you do have to report packaging data this example file shows how you must structure your data.

There is guidance that explains how to create your file for extended producer responsibility. This covers:

  • which columns you’ll have to complete
  • the codes you’ll need to enter

Use it together with this example file to create your own CSV file.

Understanding the example file

The rows in this example file show well-structured data entries. They are for illustration and do not reflect the activity of a single business.

Example: self-managed consumer waste

Row 2 - the first row after the header row - shows, from left to right:

  • a company with ID 100001
  • there is no subsidiary ID - this line relates to the parent company’s activity
  • it is a large (L) organisation
  • it’s reporting for July to December 2023
  • there’s no packaging activity code because it’s self-managed consumer waste - they’ve collected this from consumers
  • packaging type code CW for ‘self-managed consumer waste’
  • packaging class code 01 for ‘self-managed consumer waste’
  • packaging material code PL for plastic
  • there’s no packaging material subtype code
  • it’s reporting data for packaging originating from England (EN)
  • there’s no entry for the country the packaging is sent to - it does not apply
  • it is reporting 2000 kilograms of plastics
  • the final column is empty - it is only for reporting on drinks containers

Example: subsidiary company importing plastic household waste

Line 125 shows a subsidiary company importing packaging. From left to right:

  • the parent company has ID 100003
  • the parent company has given its subsidiary S0123 as an ID, so the entry for subsidiary ID is ‘100003S0123’
  • it is a large (L) organisation
  • it’s reporting for July to December 2023
  • the packaging activity code is IM for ‘imported’ - they’ve imported packaged goods that they’ve gone on to supply or discard in the UK
  • packaging type code HH for ‘household packaging’
  • the packaging class is P1 - packaging used to contain a single ‘sales unit’ to sell to customers
  • packaging material code PL for plastic
  • there’s no packaging material subtype code
  • there’s no entry for the country the packaging originates from - it does not apply
  • there’s no entry for the country the packaging is sent to - it does not apply
  • it is reporting 2,755,740 kilograms of plastics
  • the final column is empty - it is only for reporting on drinks containers

Read the guidance on creating your file for a complete list of all the codes you must use and rules you must follow when creating your packaging data file.

 Tell us what you think

You can give feedback about this guidance and the rest of the EPR guidance - let us know if anything is unclear or incorrect.

Published 8 August 2023
Last updated 14 February 2024 + show all updates
  1. Updated the packaging data example file so the column names match those in the latest packaging data file template.

  2. We've added a link so that you can give feedback about this guidance.

  3. First published.