Methodology

Principles

Every published fact names its original source and the date that source was consulted. Sourced facts, SPI estimates and SPI interpretation are kept in separate fields and labelled. Where we have no reliable source, we say there is a gap instead of filling it.

Packaging Regulation Tracker

Rules come from official sources: legislation, official journals, regulators and the bodies that run compliance schemes. Each row records the jurisdiction, rule type, materials, status, key dates, the source link and a short quote from the source text.

Status separates enacted rules (in force or adopted) from proposals, so a draft is never shown as law. SPI's plain-English summary sits in its own column.

Review: a row is first added by one SPI team member. It is marked verified only after a second team member has checked every field and the quote against the source. The software does not allow the person who last added or changed a row to verify it. Rows not yet verified are labelled as such.

History: every addition, change, verification and removal is logged with its date and shown on the rule.

Packaging Buyers Database

Companies are brand owners and retailers with public packaging commitments. Each target (for example recycled content, recyclability or reuse) comes from the company's own reports or announcements, with a quote, the source link and the date consulted. Reported progress is shown only where the company has published it; otherwise it is marked as not reported.

Headquarters countries and end-use categories are assigned by the SPI team and are not separately sourced.

EPR & Plastic Tax Calculator

The calculator applies published fee tables and tax rates to the tonnages you enter. Each rate shows its source and the date it was consulted. Rates that are illustrative rather than final are flagged, assumptions are listed, and markets or materials we do not cover yet are listed as gaps. Results are estimates, not a statement of what you owe.

Consulting work

Assignments follow six steps: scope, source plan, evidence, analysis, a check by a second SPI team member, and delivery. Every external fact keeps its source, every assumption is listed, and forecasts are presented as scenarios with their drivers and ranges.

Corrections

If you find an error, tell us. We check it against the source, correct the row and record the change in its history.