Sustainable Packaging & EPR Compliance worked example

Packaging Material Substitution Cost at 110% share of volume actually converted: a worked example

This scenario runs the packaging material substitution cost calculation on the strong side: 110% share of volume actually converted, with every other input held at its documented default. A materials team costing a move to recycled, fiber-based or mono-material packaging before committing to the conversion.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Packaging units converted to the new material: 250,000 units (unchanged)
  • Material cost delta per unit (new minus old): 0.04 $/unit (unchanged)
  • Share of volume actually converted: 110 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 100)
  • Requalification and changeover cost: 6,000 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total substitution cost = units x cost delta x converted% + requalification) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 17,000 $ for total packaging material substitution cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.07 $ / piece for packaging material substitution cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 11,000 $ for variable packaging material substitution cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6,000 $ for fixed packaging material substitution cost adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of volume actually converted sits at 100% and the headline result is 16,000 $, this scenario comes in 6.25% above the baseline at 17,000 $.
  • Use it when an EPR, recyclability or supply decision forces a material swap and you need the added unit cost and total switching cost before committing. 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 material substitution cost: 17,000 $ (headline result)
  • Packaging material substitution cost per unit: 0.07 $ / piece
  • Variable packaging material substitution cost: 11,000 $
  • Fixed packaging material substitution cost adder: 6,000 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.