SPRI glossary
Some terms used in SPRI may have different meanings in other contexts. For the purposes of the SPRI, their meaning is as follows:
Authorisation permit/licence
The legal entity issued by SEPA authorising the operation of one or more activities listed in a specific regulatory regime.
Before November 2025:
- PPC Regulations (Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations) - issued as a Permit.
- Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR), Waste Management Licensing, and Radioactive Substances Act (RSA) - issued as a licence.
From November 2025 onwards:
- EASR (Environmental Authorisation (Scotland) Regulations) replace the PPC regime and introduce a unified framework.
- Under EASR, authorisations are issued as Permits, Registrations, or Notifications, depending on the activity type.
Below reporting threshold
An operator reports BRT when a pollutant is emitted below the SPRI reporting threshold but above zero to the environment from an installation. This information helps us to indicate the potential collective environmental impact of a pollutant from several different sources, this is known as diffuse pollution.
Biomass
Means non-fossilised and biodegradable organic material originating from plants, animals and micro-organisms, including products, by-products, residues and waste from agriculture, forestry and related industries as well as the non-fossilised and biodegradable organic fractions of industrial and municipal wastes, including gases and liquids recovered from the decomposition of non-fossilised and biodegradable organic material*
*from the COMMISSION DECISION of 18 July 2007 establishing guidelines for the monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC (EU Emission Trading Scheme)
IPPC directive
The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive is a European-wide framework for the regulation of industrial process. The Directive (96/61/EC) came into force on 24 September 1996.
PPC regulation
The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 SSI No. 360. The legal framework that enacts the European IPPC Directive within Scotland.
EASR regulations
The Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 SSI No. 219.
A single, integrated regulatory framework that replaces the previous water, waste, industrial and radioactive substances regimes in Scotland. From 1 November 2025, activities that may impact the environment are authorised under EASR using four levels of control (General Binding Rules, Notifications, Registrations and Permits). The framework streamlines environmental authorisation by bringing formerly separate systems such as PPC, CAR and Waste Management Licensing into one unified structure.
Operator
The operator is any natural or legal person who controls the sites or who has decisive economic power over the technical functioning of the site. The operator must be specified in the site's regulatory Authorisation.
Operator return
Pollutant release and waste transfer data provided by an operator of a specific installation for a calendar year (e.g. 2004). The return will only be made available to the public when all aspects of the return are agreeable to SEPA.
Register owner/Parent company
This is the company is legally and ultimately responsible for the pollutant releases and transfers from a site. This must be a UK registered company listed on the Companies House Register. The Registered owner and address must be specified in the site's regulatory Authorisation.
Reporting threshold
The inventory uses annual reporting thresholds to determine when an operator must report an emission value. Thresholds are set to capture 95% of the UK emissions of a substance from industries that are required to report to the inventory. The thresholds are not related to licence limits. Reporting a value to the SPRI does not indicate that an installation is breaching any licence limits.
Site/Facility/Installation
Means one or more stationary technical units operating in a defined geographical area where one or more activities covered under SPRI are carried out. Any other directly associated activities that have a technical connection with the site, which could have an effect on emissions and pollution, are also included.