Sustainable Packaging & EPR Compliance worked example

Packaging Lifecycle Cost at 110% share of cost falling on the producer under epr: a worked example

This scenario runs the packaging lifecycle cost calculation on the strong side: 110% share of cost falling on the producer under epr, with every other input held at its documented default. A packaging program owner comparing two formats on total lifecycle cost rather than piece price alone.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Packaging units placed on market over service life: 1,000,000 units (unchanged)
  • Full cradle-to-grave cost per pack: 0.22 $/unit (unchanged)
  • Share of cost falling on the producer under EPR: 110 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 100)
  • One-time format design and tooling investment: 15,000 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total lifecycle cost = units x cost per unit x attributable% + tooling) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 257,000 $ for total packaging lifecycle cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.26 $ / piece for packaging lifecycle cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 242,000 $ for variable packaging lifecycle cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 15,000 $ for fixed packaging lifecycle cost adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of cost falling on the producer under epr sits at 100% and the headline result is 235,000 $, this scenario comes in 9.36% above the baseline at 257,000 $.
  • Use it when comparing two packaging formats, building an EPR fee model, or amortising a new mould or die over a projected run. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total packaging lifecycle cost: 257,000 $ (headline result)
  • Packaging lifecycle cost per unit: 0.26 $ / piece
  • Variable packaging lifecycle cost: 242,000 $
  • Fixed packaging lifecycle cost adder: 15,000 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Packaging Lifecycle Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.