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Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory

The Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) is a Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) and has the primary purpose of making publicly available officially reported annual releases of specified pollutants to air and water from SEPA-regulated industrial facilities. It also provides information on off-site transfers of waste and waste-water from these facilities.

The SPRI data is collected, quality assured and made public under the requirements of Freedom of Information and can be compared with PRTR information from other countries. SPRI datasets from 2002 to the present year (except 2003) are available and reported annually.

Operators of sites carrying out specific activities (67 activities covering 10 major sectors) above defined capacity thresholds are obliged to report to SPRI on an annual basis. The activities and thresholds are largely determined by European reporting requirements but some thresholds have been lowered to be relevant to pollutant releases in the UK and Scotland.

SPRI Publications

We release annual figures that show the emissions of pollutants to air, water, and off site waste transfers reported by operators. These figures can be accessed on our SPRI Publications page.

SPRI data is also available on Scotland's environment web and allows you to view summarised information by industry sector for pollutants and waste transfers. Data can be downloaded in bulk and is updated annually.

SPRI activity and SIC codes

In order to complete a SPRI return, operators must obtain the relevant SPRI activity and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes.

SIC codes

A SIC code is used to classify a company, registered in the UK, based on the nature of their economic activity. The SIC code reported in SPRI should represent the main economic activity of the site and not the registered company. The current SIC codes are available to download (pdf 153kB).

UK company SIC codes can be searched for on the Companies House website.

SPRI activity code

The SPRI code refers to the activity or activities permitted to take place on a site as specified in the site authorisation. The SPRI codes allow Scottish sites to be compared to European sites by providing a common system of categorising industrial activities. Most SPRI codes are the same as those listed in the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Regulation. Only the Radioactivity codes are different.

The SPRI activity code page provides all the details for reporting activities and capacity thresholds.

Operator guidance

Operator industrial sites listed in the SPRI are required to report their annual mass emission for each substance they emit to the air or water during that year.

SPRI return forms must be completed and returned via email SPRI.Administration@sepa.org.uk by 28th February for each year. Each site will receive a SPRI return form, tailored to each sites requirements, at the beginning of January. 

To streamline this return process, please inform us of any changes to your contact information. Failure to submit a SPRI return by the due date will result in alternative action taken to request information.

Who has to report?

Companies or organisations that are served a "Regulation 63(2) Notice" under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) (PPC) Regulations are legally required to complete a SPRI return every year.

Key points:

• If you were to report in a previous year, it is likely that you will have to continue reporting annually
• Even if you are not operating during the reporting year, you are required submit a SPRI return if:
  • the process continues to meet reporting criteria for the SPRI
  • and you have received a formal PPC Regulation 63(2) notice
• You should state in you return if you are not operating and have no emissions, or if your authorisation was revoked. Checks will conducted before your company is removed from the SPRI
• If your industrial site closes during the reporting year, you must still report emissions for the period it was operational.

Our SPRI general operator guidance (pdf 795kB) provides more help and advice on who has to report. There are also sector guidance notes available to give process specific advice:

• The SPRI schedule for the 2024 reporting year (word 190kB)
• Small scale activities (intensive agriculture, landfills, open cast coal and quarrying) 2019 (pdf 969kB)
• Large scale activites (petroleum, incineration, paper and wood production and processing, cement and lime, production and processing of metals, combustion and chemicals) 2017 (pdf 1.5MB)
• SPRI release estimation techniques (RET) 2017 (pdf 583kB)
• Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Food, Drink and Milk Industries

The SPRI is constantly developing in Scotland and the UK. The reporting criteria is reviewed every three years. In addition, changes effected by the European Union (EU) to the UK Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) data sets - GOV.UK may affect UK reporting criteria. See our indicative substance lists for emissions to air and water (pdf 1.2MB) for more information.

What to report?

You must report any pollutant emissions that exceed the SPRI threshold values. These thresholds are set at a UK level (reflecting EU levels) and are based on how harmful and persistent a substance is in the environment.

Key points:

• Thresholds are based on the total annual mass of each pollutant emitted as well as knowledge of the pollutant (i.e. toxicity, transport, and environment persistence). Thresholds indicate what mass emission may give rise to 'significant' environmental concentrations.
• Emissions must be reported even if they are within your permitted concentration limits.
• Large industrial sites may emit high total volumes due to scale, even if concentrations are low.

What to include in your return:

1. Identify pollutants you emit from your site.
2. List all sources of emissions and indicate which leave the site boundary.
3. Report actual values for each substance listed in the SPRI schedule.
4. Include all substances, even if they’re not consented (e.g. waste), if they exceed thresholds.

Reporting guidance:

• Sum emissions from all processes and report them by the medium (air, water, etc.).
• Enter a value for each pollutant:
  • If emissions > 0: the system will calculate if it’s above or below the threshold.
  • If no emissions: enter 0 (shown as NE – No Emissions).
  • If not applicable: leave blank (shown as NA – Not Applicable).
• Always include a method description for how you calculated or estimated emissions. Our SPRI methods and methodologies page has more information.
• If emissions are below the detection limit, you can report 0, but still include your method.
• Accidental or unplanned emissions must also be included in your total figures.

What happens next?

Once we receive your return, we check it for any obvious errors or missing information. If mandatory details are incomplete or unclear, the return will be rejected and sent back for correction.

After submission, your return is locked. If you need to make changes, contact us as soon as possible. We’ll need a reason for any edits, as all changes must be recorded.

Please keep supporting documents, such as measurements or calculations, for at least five years, as you may be asked to justify your figures during routine audits.

SPRI data is published as a free, accessible resource for the public to view emissions in their local or national area. It also supports research and fulfils UK reporting obligations under the UK Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (UK-PRTR) and the Industrial Emissions Directive.