Ever since the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) came into effect, manufacturers have not only had to assess their packaging from a regulatory perspective, but also be able to document its compliance robustly. Purchasing, packaging development, quality management, compliance and product development are all equally affected. The biggest hurdle is often not a lack of information. Rather, the crucial factor is making packaging, supplier and verification data usable for decision-making across departments and systems. For the food and beverage industry, this gives rise to three key areas for action.
Every piece of packaging must be put to the test
For many manufacturers, implementing the PPWR begins with a fundamental inventory of their packaging portfolio. The central question is: which packagings already meet the new requirements and where is action needed. Companies with large product portfolios, in particular, face a challenging task in this regard. Packagings often differ in material, coating and recyclability. Supplier structures are correspondingly complex. In order to assess risks, relevant information must be centrally available. Otherwise, it remains unclear which packagings should be reviewed with priority.
Added to this is the evaluation of the materials used. Films, coatings and composite solutions are increasingly under regulatory scrutiny. Companies must examine which alternatives are available and how these impact production processes, product protection and economic efficiency. Looking at individual packaging components is not enough here. Manufacturers must involve the entire supply chain and ensure that specifications and documentation are up to date and retrievable at all times.
Of particular importance in this context is the provision of evidence. The PPWR increases the requirements for transparency and documentation. Information on materials, compositions or recycled content must be documented in a traceable manner and be accessible for declarations of conformity.
Material changes are far more than just a packaging issue
However, the impact of the PPWR does not end with material selection. Every adjustment to packaging also affects labelling, artwork and approval processes. If, for example, a material specification changes, labelling elements, pictograms or sustainability claims often have to be reviewed as well. What was previously handled separately must now run in close coordination. As a result, the need for alignment between packaging development, marketing, quality management and compliance increases.
It is precisely at these interfaces that friction losses frequently occur. Specifications are updated without all involved departments having access to the same level of information. Artwork files, technical documentation and regulatory documents then lose their consistency. As regulatory complexity increases, the risk of errors and delays rises as a result. Misprints, additional revision cycles or delayed market launches cause high costs. What is needed are processes that identify deviations early on and document changes in a traceable manner.
The PPWR clearly shows that compliance does not end with documentation. It is increasingly becoming an integral part of daily business processes.
Packaging decisions become product decisions
This interaction is particularly evident in the collaboration between packaging and product development. After all, not every regulatory-compliant packaging automatically fulfils all requirements for product protection and quality. For the food industry, this means closer cooperation between packaging and R&D teams.
When materials or packaging concepts are modified, a packaging's properties can have a direct impact on shelf life and product safety. Light protection, oxygen barriers and moisture resistance are decisive factors in whether a product retains its quality. Packaging innovations must therefore be assessed from a regulatory and technological perspective. Packaging decisions must always be evaluated in conjunction with the formulation, product stability and consumer requirements. Where established composite materials are to be replaced, it is necessary to determine what alternatives are feasible and what effects these will have on production processes, product protection and economic efficiency. Such decisions require reliable data on packaging, materials and suppliers. A systematic early warning system for packaging and compliance risks helps to identify critical packaging, data gaps and potentially affected products at an early stage.
The central task is data management
However diverse the tasks may be, they share a common denominator: the database. Whether material assessment, supplier management, labelling or product development – every decision is based on a multitude of individual aspects that have hitherto often been managed separately in documents, spreadsheets and isolated solutions. This is currently done manually in many different places. It is not uncommon for suppliers to be contacted individually. With the PPWR, however, such an approach is increasingly becoming an obstacle. It is only through the strategically sensible linking of all information that the transparency required for audits and conformity assessments is created.
TraceGains addresses these requirements with an integrated approach, helping food and beverage companies bring together supplier, packaging and compliance data in a digital ecosystem and keep documents up to date.
The resulting available, centralised and structured database, alongside automated workflows and dashboards, helps to integrate regulatory requirements into existing processes and identify risks at an early stage. Likewise, this data can be used to generate declarations of conformity. This ensures collaboration between suppliers, packaging development, quality management and compliance across the entire packaging lifecycle.
On this basis, the PPWR is not simply a new regulatory requirement: it is changing the way companies develop, evaluate and document packaging. Those who use packaging data strategically are creating the foundation not only for compliance and informed packaging decisions, but also for innovation and a reduced time to market.
Detailed information and a free PPWR analysis can be found at: https://lp.tracegains.com/ppwr_analyse/
In the on-demand webinar, TraceGains uses concrete application examples to demonstrate how companies can build a connected database and use supplier and packaging data in a structured way for PPWR implementation: TraceGains | PPWR Webinar
To TraceGains
TraceGains helps food and beverage manufacturers to digitalise, automate and connect their supply chains with their suppliers. With over 1,500 customers in 167 countries and more than 10.5 million supplier documents, the company is the global network for supplier and compliance data in the food, beverage and consumer goods industries.
In the digital ecosystem of TraceGains, manufacturers, brand owners and suppliers work on a shared database where information can be shared along the entire value chain. This facilitates collaboration across teams, locations and companies, reduces manual processes and helps to reliably meet compliance requirements.
This is how the Veralto Group company is supporting manufacturers over the long term to implement innovations in product development, from formulation to packaging, more quickly and efficiently.
Website: tracegains.com
Author: Mandy Lämmel
DACH Marketing Manager at TraceGains
linkedin.com/in/mandylaemmel
