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Part of What packaging marketing reviews mean for buyers and specifiers
Check packaging marketing selection with a due diligence checklist
A due diligence checklist for packaging marketing selection: what to verify on quotes, claims and suppliers, including Plastic Packaging Tax and testing evidence.
What to take away
- Decide what you are buying firstartwork, structure, print or the whole unboxing programme. Each carries different evidence requirements.
- Verify rather than assumecheck tax registration, material claims and test reports against primary sources, not a supplier's summary.
- Score on evidence rather than presentation, so the shortlist stands up in writing.
Start with the brief and the numbers
Define the packaging scope in writing
Selection goes wrong when the brief is vague.
Define the packaging scope
- Write down the SKU
- Write down the pack format
- Write down the print process
- Write down the deadline
- Name touchpointsouter carton, insert, peel strip
- State successunboxing or cost per unit
Use a consistent method such as packaging marketing reviews and comparison methods for 2027.
Verify regional demand in ONS Regional Economic Accounts
Sanity-check the market before you commit spend. The Office for National Statistics publishes regional economic accounts that break retail and ecommerce activity down by area, which beats a national average when your customers sit in one or two regions.
For example, a brand selling mainly in the South East may find a national figure overstates its realistic order volumes. Use the regional data to pressure-test the forecast a supplier quotes against.
Typical lead times vary by format: design 2 to 4 weeks; tooling 4 to 8 weeks; production 2 to 4 weeks.
The selection checklist
Work through the numbered steps
- Confirm the scope in writingSKU, format, print process, delivery date.
- Ask every shortlisted supplier for a quote against that identical brief.
- Request evidence for each material claim, including recycled content and recyclability.
- Check the supplier's Plastic Packaging Tax position against HMRC's registration guidance.
- Ask for test reports on transit, stacking and any scan code or app element.
- Confirm data handling if the pack links to an app or landing page.
- Score suppliers in one table, then hold a moderation call.
Step four matters more than most buyers expect. The Finance Act 2021 introduced the Plastic Packaging Tax, and liability depends on who manufactures or imports the components. A supplier who cannot answer that clearly is a risk.
Seven-step selection checklist
- Confirm scope in writing
- Quote every supplier on identical brief
- Request evidence for material claims
- Check Plastic Packaging Tax registration
- Ask for transit and stacking test reports
- Confirm data handling for app links
- Score suppliers then hold moderation call
Complete checklist step three: claim and technology evidence
Claims need evidence you could show your local authority trading standards service. Ask for the test standard, the laboratory and the date. If a supplier calls a pack widely recyclable, ask which stream and which authority confirms it.
Step three also covers interactive packs. The BSI's guidance on augmented reality and immersive experiences is the reference point on AR packaging standards, so the supplier must say who owns the content once the campaign ends.
Score, moderate and record
Turn evidence into a comparable score
Build one table with the same columns for every supplier: price, lead time, evidence quality, tax position and data handling. Score each out of five and weight the columns to your brief. Weighting matters, because a cheap quote with thin evidence stops being cheap after retooling.
Illustrative scored table for a three-supplier shortlist.
Price (20%)
- Supplier A
- 4
- Supplier B
- 5
- Supplier C
- 3
Lead time (20%)
- Supplier A
- 3
- Supplier B
- 4
- Supplier C
- 5
Evidence quality (30%)
- Supplier A
- 5
- Supplier B
- 2
- Supplier C
- 4
PPT position (15%)
- Supplier A
- 5
- Supplier B
- 3
- Supplier C
- 4
Data handling (15%)
- Supplier A
- 4
- Supplier B
- 2
- Supplier C
- 3
Weighted total
- Supplier A
- 4.25
- Supplier B
- 3.15
- Supplier C
- 3.85
Supplier A wins on evidence and tax, even though Supplier B is cheaper.
Moderate the scores in a short call. One person's five is often another's three, and the discussion surfaces assumptions a spreadsheet hides. Record the decision and the reasons so a later review has something to test.
Keep a record you can revisit
Store the brief, quotes, test reports and scored table together. If a pack underperforms, you can trace whether the cause was the brief, the supplier or the material. Before scoring, widen the field with structured profiles rather than sales decks, as in packaging marketing best providers in England.
Common questions
Does the Plastic Packaging Tax apply to every pack?
No. Liability depends on the components, the recycled content and who manufactures or imports them. Check the Finance Act 2021 rules and HMRC's registration guidance, and confirm the position in writing before you sign.
How many suppliers should I shortlist?
Three to five is usually workable: enough to compare, few enough to score properly. Below three, you cannot tell whether a price is competitive.
What evidence should I ask for on sustainability claims?
Ask for the test standard, the laboratory and the date, plus the specific recycling stream claimed. A general statement is not evidence.
Can I reuse the same checklist for a relaunch?
Yes, but revisit the scope and the tax position. Formats, materials and rules change, so an old score is only a starting point.
