The deadline for reporting packaging data is approaching – see six frequently asked questions

 This article features some of the questions that we dealt with in our training event and that you may find useful as you prepare your packaging data report. The recording of the training event and the questions asked at the event are available on Rinki’s extranet. You can also find the instructions for filling in the new declaration form on our website.  

What would be the best way to implement the reporting between manufacturers and users (i.e. packers) of packaging so that no packaging is reported twice? 

Packaging volumes are reported to Rinki by the company that packed or had its products packed by another party in Finland for the Finnish market. The packaging of imported products is reported by the importer. A packaging manufacturer in Finland or an importer of empty packaging only reports the materials used for packing this packaging. This way nothing gets reported twice. 

Where can we find information about whether a pallet sent to us has been used before or whether it is the first use? The supplier will hardly tell us which category the pallet belongs to. 

If the company buys pallets, it can usually tell from the price whether it is a new pallet or a used one. If the company uses rental pallets, the pallet supplier must assess the average proportion of completely new pallets and pallets in use for the first time. This proportion of pallets is reported in the first use column. 

If a particular type of packaging is only sold to cafés, is it considered consumer or B2B packaging? The packaging does not end up in consumers’ homes, but consumers handle the packaging in the café (e.g. a box of tea bags). 

If the same box of tea bags is also sold to consumers in retail shops, it is consumer packaging. If the packaging is primarily intended for use in industrial kitchens for example a bigger box, it is B2B packaging. 

If a wooden pallet is repaired and returned to the market, is it reported as reuse? 

Yes, if a company uses a wooden pallet after it has been repaired, it is reported as reuse. (For the final packaging statistics, Rinki enters the volume of wooden pallets repaired over the year in the volume placed on the market on the basis of the repair volumes recorded by the wooden packaging producer organisation.) 

 Are liquid soap bottles reported as single-use or reusable packaging when there are refill bags available for them? 

Reusable packaging is packaging that is designed to be reused by companies. Liquid soap bottles that consumers refill are reported as single-use packaging. 

 If packages (e.g. plastic crates) are circulated between a subcontractor and a company, who reports them? 

Crates that circulate empty are not reported. If products are packed in the crates, then our guidelines apply: whoever owns the product at the time of packing reports the packaging. We recommend that the subcontractor and the company make sure that they share the same view of who is responsible for reporting.