Solution
EPR reporting automation for packaging manufacturers
Your packaging data already exists. It's just spread across your ERP, spec sheets and supplier files. We connect it, do the maths and build your EPR submission file, so your team checks the report instead of building it from scratch every time.
Result6 weeks saved every year on EPR reporting for a UK packaging manufacturer
Results
The problem
Extended Producer Responsibility means organisations that supply packaging in the UK have to report what they placed on the market: how much, what it's made of, and where it went. Larger producers report twice a year. Smaller producers report once a year.
The rules aren't usually what slows teams down. The data is. A typical report means pulling sales volumes out of the ERP, matching every product to its packaging components, finding weights and materials on spec sheets that may be years old, and working out who each item was supplied to. Then someone builds the file in the format the government's service expects, fixes the errors, and does it all again next period.
One packaging manufacturer we work with now saves around six weeks a year on this. None of it came from working faster. It came from not doing the same lookups by hand every time.
What we automate
One packaging spec library
Every product's packaging components listed once, with weight, material and packaging type. When a spec changes, it changes in one place.
Sales volumes pulled automatically
Units sold per product per period come straight from your ERP or accounts system, on a schedule.
Weights calculated and grouped
Units multiplied by component weights and grouped by material, packaging type and activity, the way the submission needs them.
Checks before you submit
Missing specs, unmapped materials and numbers that look wrong are flagged for a person, not guessed.
The submission file, ready to check
Built to the government's packaging data file format, with a record of where every figure came from.
A view of what it costs you
Tonnage by material and recyclability, so you can see which packaging is driving your fees.
How it works
A free 30-minute call
We look at where your packaging data lives today and how the report gets built now.
A data audit
We map your products, specs and sales data and list the gaps. This alone usually shows where the time goes.
The build
We connect your systems, set up the spec library and calculations, and generate the file.
Your first submission, together
We run a real reporting period side by side with your current process so you can trust the numbers.
Kept running
We look after it as your products, suppliers and the rules change.
Who it's for
- Packaging manufacturers and converters
- Brand owners and fillers with large product ranges
- Importers and distributors with EPR obligations
- Anyone whose EPR report takes more than a few days
Going deeper
Deadlines and fees, briefly
For larger producers, January to June data is due by 1 October and July to December data by 1 April. Smaller producers report annually. Larger producers also pay waste management fees, which depend on the tonnage and materials you place on the market and are moving towards rewarding packaging that's easier to recycle. Thresholds, dates and fee rules are set by the government and PackUK, so always check the current GOV.UK guidance for what applies to you. Our plain-English guide to EPR for packaging in the UK covers who it applies to, the deadlines and how the fees work.
What this means in practice: accurate material data is worth more every year. If your figures are estimates, you may be paying for packaging you don't actually place on the market, or reporting less than you should.
EPR software or custom automation?
There are good off-the-shelf EPR tools, especially for online retailers whose packaging data is already tidy. They work well when your products, packaging and sales data fit their templates.
Custom automation makes more sense when your data is spread across an ERP, spreadsheets and supplier documents, when you make packaging for other businesses, or when you've got thousands of SKUs with changing specs. In those cases the hard part is getting clean data in, and that's the part we build. We can also feed your existing software or compliance scheme, so it's not either-or.
For more detail, read how manufacturers stop EPR reporting eating their weeks.
Questions people ask
Do you replace our compliance scheme or EPR software?
No. We prepare accurate, traceable packaging data and the submission file. You or your compliance scheme still submit it, and if you already use EPR software we can feed it clean data instead of a spreadsheet export.
Which systems can you pull data from?
Most ERP and accounts systems, through an API or a scheduled export, plus the spreadsheets and spec sheets most teams rely on. We'll check yours on the first call.
Will our team still need to check the numbers?
Yes, and that's the point. The automation gathers and calculates. Anything missing or unclear goes on a short list for a person to fix, and your team signs off the final file.
We're a small producer and only report once a year. Is it worth it?
It depends on how many products and packaging components you have. If the annual report still takes days of digging, automating the spec library and calculations usually pays back. If it takes an afternoon, it probably doesn't.
Can the same data help with Plastic Packaging Tax?
Often, yes. Both rely on knowing what each piece of packaging weighs and what it's made of, so one well-kept packaging dataset can feed both.
How long does it take to set up?
It depends mostly on the state of your packaging specs. We scope it on a free 30-minute call and give you a clear plan and price before anything starts.