New feature in the Customs duty calculator – now you can calculate the estimated carbon footprint of your consignment
A new feature was published this week in the popular Customs duty calculator. Now the users of the Customs duty calculator can also easily calculate the estimated carbon footprint resulting from the transport of their online purchases.
A completely new feature was published this week in the Customs duty calculator, a service designed for private individuals who make online purchases. Before this, the Customs duty calculator has given an estimate of the amount of value added tax (VAT) and customs duty for the imported goods, but now the user can also get an estimate of the emissions caused by transporting the goods. The emission estimates have been made by researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd in cooperation with Finnish Customs. Now everyone can estimate the carbon footprint resulting from the transport of their consignment. The Customs duty calculator has been available since 2018, and it has around 20 000 users every month.
The new feature in the Customs duty calculator gives an estimate of the size of the carbon footprint through practical examples. For example, the calculator estimates that the air transport of a T-shirt ordered from the USA would be equivalent to just under 36 kilometres driven by a passenger car. The corresponding figure for sea transport is one kilometre driven by a passenger car.
– The new feature published in the Customs duty calculator enables the user to estimate the carbon footprint of the transport and to consider the emissions from the mode of transport used. With our trial project, we want to bring the choices affecting the carbon footprint to a more concrete level and closer to people, says Mikael Hyövälti, product manager for the Customs duty calculator.
Try the Customs duty calculator and avoid unpleasant surprises
As a rule, all consignments arriving from outside the EU must be declared. Keep in mind that even if the online store is in the EU territory, the consignment may be delivered to you from outside the EU. With the Customs duty calculator, you can calculate an estimate of the amount of customs duty and VAT before ordering and avoid unpleasant surprises. The Customs duty calculator also has the feature “How do I get my parcel” showing what to consider to ensure that your consignment is successfully delivered.
If the consignment needs to be declared, the company transporting the consignment will notify you of this, e.g. by text message or letter. The declaration process will be smoother if you remember the following:
- Keep the order confirmation, invoice or receipt you have received. You will need one of these when declaring the consignment
- Follow the instructions provided by the transport company
- Contact the transport company if you have questions about the consignment or its delivery.
When the consignment has been declared, the transport company will deliver it to you.
Improvements based on the users’ needs
At Finnish Customs, we are continuously improving our services while taking into account the wishes and feedback received from their users. For example, based on earlier feedback, we have improved the search function of the service and included a wider range of most commonly ordered products. The aim of these improvements is to make the declaration process as convenient and as smooth as possible for the users.
The carbon footprint feature in the Customs duty calculator is a two-year pilot project. During this period, we will collect feedback and experiences on the service. You can give feedback when you are using the service.
You can find more information on the customs duty calculator and declaring online purchases on our website:
Customs duty calculator – estimate the customs duty and VAT of your purchase