Glossary

AQL (Acceptable Quality Limit) is a statistical sampling standard used to accept or reject a lot.

Actual values are measured or calculated data from a specific supplier rather than a generic assumption.

An anti-dumping duty is an additional charge imposed when imports are found to be unfairly priced.

A BOM (Bill of Materials) lists every component and material in a product.

A blank sailing is the cancellation of a scheduled vessel departure or port call.

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism prices certain embedded emissions in goods imported into the EU.

The Cargo Ready Date is when goods are packed and ready for collection.

A chain of custody records a material’s path through every production and trading stage.

Customs value is the taxable base to which import duty is applied.

Default values are prescribed substitute values used when reliable supplier data is unavailable.

Demurrage is a terminal charge when a container stays beyond its free time.

Design for Recycling means designing packaging so that it can be sorted and recycled in real systems.

Dual sourcing allocates a critical item to at least two qualified supply sources.

EPR means extended producer responsibility: businesses help finance and organise the end-of-life treatment of their packaging.

ESD (electrostatic discharge) describes static discharges that can damage electronics.

The EU Declaration of Conformity is the manufacturer’s confirmation that a product meets the applicable EU requirements.

The European Union Customs Data Model defines shared data and message structures for EU customs processes.

Embedded emissions are the greenhouse-gas emissions generated while an imported product is made.

The empty space ratio measures how much of a shipping package is unused compared with the product volume.

H7 is a simplified electronic customs declaration for certain low-value consignments.

The HS code is the internationally harmonised basis for classifying goods in the tariff.

Import VAT is the VAT charged when goods enter the country, based on the import tax value.

An Incoterm allocates costs, tasks, risk and the delivery point between seller and buyer.

Landed cost is the total cost up to a defined destination, not just the factory price.

Lead time is the period from placing an order to the agreed receipt of goods.

A low-value consignment is a shipment of modest value that may qualify for simplified customs rules.

MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is the smallest order quantity a supplier accepts.

An MTC (Material Test Certificate) records the chemical and mechanical properties of a material.

Mass balance is an accounting model that allows sustainable feedstock to be processed in mixed conventional streams.

“Melt and pour” identifies the country where steel was last melted and poured.

Post-consumer recycled material comes from products consumers have used and sent into recycling.

PFAS are persistent fluorinated chemicals whose use is being restricted in many products and packaging applications.

PID means package-level identifiers that link a low-value parcel to its customs and product data.

Pre-consumer recycled material comes from production scrap that has not reached a consumer.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is a business-survey indicator of economic activity.

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation sets requirements for packaging, recyclability and producer responsibility.

Proof of origin supports the country where goods were made or sufficiently processed.

“Recycled at Scale” checks whether a material is recycled in sufficient real-world volumes, not only technically recyclable.

Safety Gate is the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products and recalls.

TARIC is the EU integrated tariff database containing commodity codes, duty rates and trade measures.

Technical documentation collects the evidence, drawings, test reports and risk assessments for a product.

VGM (Verified Gross Mass) is the verified gross mass of a packed export container.