What Is the RPD Portal?

The Report Packaging Data (RPD) portal is DEFRA’s online system for collecting packaging data from obligated producers. It is the official channel through which UK businesses submit their packaging information under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.

The portal accepts data uploads in CSV format, validates the information against DEFRA’s requirements, and feeds it into the fee calculation system managed by PackUK. Understanding how to prepare and submit your data correctly is essential — errors lead to rejected submissions, which can mean missed deadlines and potential enforcement action.

Before You Start: Registration

Before you can submit data, you need to register your organisation on the RPD portal. During registration you will need:

Company details — legal name, registered address, Companies House number
SIC code — your Standard Industrial Classification code (e.g., 47910 for online retail)
Turnover information — to determine whether you are a small or large producer
Packaging tonnage estimate — your estimated annual packaging weight
Contact details — a named person responsible for compliance

Upon registration, you receive an Organisation ID which is used in all subsequent data submissions and correspondence with regulators.

What Data Do You Need to Report?

Every line of your RPD submission must include the following data fields:

Material Type

The material your packaging is made from. DEFRA recognises eight categories:

Aluminium
Fibre-based composite
Glass
Paper and card
Plastic
Steel
Wood
Other

Each material has its own EPR fee rate, so accurate classification is critical for correct fee calculations.

Packaging Weight

The total weight of packaging in kilograms, reported to the appropriate decimal places. Getting weights right is one of the biggest challenges — see our guide on how to weigh packaging for EPR for practical methodology.

Packaging Category

How the packaging is used in the supply chain:

Primary — directly contains the product
Secondary — groups primary-packaged products together
Tertiary — used for transit and distribution
Shipment — used to ship orders direct to consumers

For a detailed breakdown of these categories, read our packaging categories guide.

Activity Type

Which obligated activity you perform in relation to each packaging item:

Packing or filling
Importing
Selling under your own brand
Supplying empty packaging
Hiring or loaning reusable packaging

Nation Data

Where your packaging is placed on the UK market, broken down by nation:

England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland

Each nation has its own environmental regulator, and DEFRA requires this geographical breakdown for accurate fee allocation. Our nation data reporting guide covers this in detail.

Step-by-Step Submission Process

Step 1: Collect Your Packaging Data

Throughout the reporting period, gather data on every packaging type your business handles. For each item, you need the material type, weight, category, activity, and nation distribution.

Step 2: Prepare Your CSV File

DEFRA’s RPD portal accepts data in a specific CSV format. Your file must include the correct column headers, data types, and structure. Common formatting requirements include:

Column headers must match DEFRA’s specification exactly
Weights must be in kilograms
Material types must use DEFRA’s approved naming conventions
Nation data must be provided for each packaging line

Step 3: Validate Your Data

Before uploading, check your data for completeness and accuracy:

Do all material types match DEFRA’s eight categories?
Are weights in the correct units (kilograms)?
Is every packaging line assigned a category and activity type?
Does the nation data add up to 100% for each line?

Step 4: Upload to the RPD Portal

Log into the RPD portal, navigate to the data submission section, and upload your CSV file. The portal runs automated validation checks and flags any errors.

Step 5: Review and Confirm

After upload, the portal displays a summary of your submission. Review the totals carefully — this is your last chance to catch errors before the data is used to calculate your fees.

Step 6: Receive Fee Calculation

Once your data is accepted, PackUK calculates your EPR fees based on the reported tonnage and material types. You will receive an invoice detailing the fees owed.

Submission Deadlines

Missing a deadline can result in enforcement action. Here are the key dates:

Large producers (turnover £2 million+ AND 50+ tonnes) report six-monthly:

H1 data (January to June) — due by 1 October
H2 data (July to December) — due by 1 April

Small producers (other obligated producers) report annually:

Full-year data — due by 1 April

For a complete timeline, see our EPR compliance deadlines guide.

Common Errors That Get Reports Rejected

Based on common issues reported by obligated producers, here are the mistakes to avoid:

Incorrect Material Classifications

Using “cardboard” instead of “paper and card”, or “aluminium foil” instead of “aluminium”. The RPD portal requires DEFRA’s exact material type names.

Weight Unit Errors

Submitting weights in tonnes instead of kilograms is a frequent mistake. A business handling 30 tonnes of cardboard should report 30,000 kg, not 30.

Missing Nation Data

Every packaging line must include a nation breakdown. If you sell across the UK, you need to estimate how your packaging is distributed across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Incorrect CSV Formatting

Missing columns, extra columns, or incorrect header names will cause the upload to fail. Our platform generates CSV files formatted exactly as DEFRA expects, eliminating these formatting errors entirely.

Incomplete Reporting Periods

Submitting data for only part of the reporting period — for example, reporting January to May instead of the full H1 period (January to June) — will result in rejection.

After Submission: What Happens Next

Once DEFRA accepts your data:

PackUK calculates your fees based on the reported packaging by material type and tonnage
You receive a fee invoice detailing the amount owed
Payment is due by the specified deadline
Funds are distributed to local authorities to fund packaging waste collection and recycling
Your compliance status is updated on the regulator’s records

Keep copies of all submissions and confirmation receipts. The Environment Agency can audit your records and may require you to provide supporting evidence for the data you reported. DEFRA recommends retaining records for at least seven years. For further details on your obligations, see the official guidance on preparing for EPR.

Simplify Reporting with Our Platform

The RPD submission process has multiple points where errors can occur — from data collection and weight calculations to CSV formatting and nation data estimation. Our platform eliminates these pain points:

Guided data entry walks you through each packaging item
Automatic fee calculations using confirmed EPR fee rates
DEFRA-ready CSV exports formatted exactly as the RPD portal expects
Deadline reminders so you never miss a submission window
Audit-ready records stored securely for at least seven years

Preparing for Your First Submission: A Practical Walkthrough

If you are submitting packaging data for the first time, the process can feel overwhelming. Here is a practical walkthrough to guide you through each stage.

Four Weeks Before the Deadline

Gather your raw data. Pull together all packaging information from across your business:

Packaging purchase orders and invoices from suppliers
Packaging specification sheets with per-unit weights
Order volumes from your e-commerce platform or ERP system
Packaging usage reports from any 3PL providers
Import records showing packaging on goods brought into the UK

At this stage, do not worry about formatting — focus on completeness. It is better to have too much data than to miss packaging items.

Three Weeks Before the Deadline

Organise your data by material type and category. For each packaging item, confirm:

The correct DEFRA material classification (aluminium, fibre-based composite, glass, paper and card, plastic, steel, wood, or other)
The packaging category (primary, secondary, tertiary, or shipment)
The obligated activity (packing/filling, importing, selling under own brand, supplying empty packaging, or hiring reusable packaging)
The total weight in kilograms for the reporting period

Cross-reference your material classifications against the DEFRA material classification guidance to ensure you are using the correct terminology.

Two Weeks Before the Deadline

Calculate your nation data split. Determine what proportion of your packaging went to England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Apply the appropriate estimation method (sales data analysis, revenue-based, or population proportional).

Generate your CSV report. Format your data according to DEFRA’s RPD CSV specification. Check that:

All column headers match DEFRA’s requirements exactly
Weights are expressed in kilograms (not tonnes)
Nation data percentages sum to 100% for each packaging line
No required fields are blank

One Week Before the Deadline

Upload to the RPD portal and review. Submit your CSV file and review the validation results. The portal flags common errors such as:

Unrecognised material type names
Missing required fields
Weight values that appear unusually high or low
Inconsistent nation data

Address any errors and resubmit if necessary. The portal allows multiple submissions — only the most recent accepted submission counts.

Save your confirmation. Download and store the submission confirmation receipt. This is your proof of timely compliance.

What Good Reporting Looks Like: Quality Benchmarks

DEFRA does not publish explicit accuracy standards, but the Environment Agency has indicated that it expects “reasonable accuracy” based on the best available data. In practice, this means:

Weight Accuracy

Your reported weights should be within 5-10% of actual weights. This is achievable using supplier specification sheets verified by sample weighing. Weights based purely on estimation (without any physical measurement) are unlikely to meet the reasonable accuracy standard.

Material Classification Accuracy

Every packaging item should be classified using the correct DEFRA material category. There should be no items reported as “other” when they clearly fall into one of the seven named categories. The “other” category is reserved for genuinely unusual materials that do not fit elsewhere.

Category Consistency

Your packaging categories should be logically consistent. If you report shipping boxes as “shipment” packaging, the packing tape used to seal those boxes should also be “shipment” — not “tertiary.” Components of the same packaging system should share the same category.

Completeness

Your report should cover all packaging your business handles during the reporting period. The most common cause of incomplete reporting is forgetting packaging categories such as transit packaging, component packaging (caps, labels, seals), and ancillary items (inserts, tape, returns bags).

Our platform enforces these quality benchmarks through validation checks at the point of data entry, flagging potential issues before you generate your report rather than after submission.

Browse our EPR glossary for definitions of all the terms in this guide, or check your obligation status with our free compliance checker. For sector-specific reporting guidance, explore our packaging hub with dedicated resources for fashion, beauty, food and drink, and e-commerce businesses. View our pricing plans to find the right plan for your business.

Start your free trial and generate your first DEFRA-ready report in minutes.

How to Report Packaging Data to DEFRA via the RPD Portal

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