Technical documentation under the PPWR: the data behind the declaration of conformity
Technical documentation is the data foundation for assessing packaging conformity. PakPruvo brings together packaging components, materials, weights, evidence, and versions for that purpose.
Technical documentation is the foundation for demonstrating packaging conformity in a traceable way.
The PPWR points to the requirements in Annex VII for this purpose. Conformity assessment is also linked to this technical documentation.
Companies therefore face a practical question: where do the required packaging data come from, and how are they kept up to date over time?
This is exactly where PakPruvo comes in as PPWR software.
What is technical documentation under the PPWR?
Technical documentation contains the information used to assess and verify the conformity of the packaging concerned.
It is therefore not the same as the EU declaration of conformity.
In short: technical documentation provides the basis. The declaration of conformity records the outcome of the conformity assessment.
Which packaging data matter for this?
Which particulars are required in practice depends on the packaging and the applicable PPWR requirement.
For a reliable data basis, packaging should not be maintained merely as a single record labelled “cardboard”, “plastic” or “glass”.
PakPruvo can therefore model packaging by component.
Each part can be described separately.
- Bottle
- Closure
- Label
- Outer carton
- Insert
Can materials and weights be documented?
Yes. PakPruvo can manage material and weight data per packaging component, among other things.
For example, you can capture:
- Bottle: glass, 145 g
- Closure: PP, 8 g
- Label: paper, 3 g
- Outer carton: cardboard, 22 g
Tare weights can also be stored in a structured way.
The information is therefore not gathered only when a document is created.
Can material compositions be captured?
Yes. A packaging component can consist of several materials.
PakPruvo therefore supports structured capture of materials and weight shares within a component.
That is especially relevant for more complex packaging constructions.
Example
A component consists of: 60% material A, 30% material B, 10% material C.
The composition can be assigned directly to the packaging part concerned.
Bringing technical documentation together from existing data
Technical documentation does not begin only when the declaration of conformity is created.
Its basis is the data and documents that accumulate throughout the packaging process.
Depending on the packaging and the applicable requirement, this includes, for example:
- packaging components
- materials and compositions
- weights
- technical specifications
- supplier data
- evidence
- applied standards
- further information on the packaging concerned
Available today: PakPruvo brings this information together in one shared product process. Data and documents therefore do not have to be gathered again from folders, emails, or spreadsheets for every review.
Packaging data → components → materials → supplier data → evidence → technical documentation → conformity assessment → declaration of conformity
Currently in development and available soon: clearer product and packaging versions as data states, plus a closer binding of issued declarations of conformity to exactly that state.
Assessment and approval remain with the responsible company. PakPruvo structures and documents the process but does not replace any required technical or legal review.
What happens when packaging changes?
Packaging does not stay unchanged: suppliers change, materials are replaced, weights or compositions change, new evidence is added.
Such changes can affect the existing documentation and assessment.
Available today: PakPruvo logs changes traceably and makes unpublished product changes visible. Issued declarations of conformity are kept as their own document versions.
Currently in development and available soon: versioned packaging and product data states, notices and open tasks when an issued declaration of conformity should be reviewed or reissued after changes, and binding an issued declaration to exactly the data state it is based on.
Can recyclate shares also be recorded?
Yes. PakPruvo can capture recyclate shares in a structured way.
The PPWR includes requirements on the use of recycled plastics and further rules whose applicability and calculation depend on packaging type and the relevant implementing rules. The European Commission expressly describes higher use of recycled material as one of the central goals of the PPWR.
In PakPruvo, the data can already be assigned centrally to a material or packaging component today.
How are composite packaging structures represented?
A further capability covers the composite layer stack.
If a packaging component consists of several layers, that structure can be documented in a structured way.
A complex material build-up therefore does not have to be reduced to a single term such as “composite material”.
- Outer layer
- Adhesive
- Barrier layer
- Inner layer
Why does versioning matter for technical documentation?
Packaging does not always stay the same.
Suppliers change, materials are replaced, weights change, or a packaging build is adjusted.
PakPruvo therefore keeps versions and histories clearly separated.
An issued document can still be linked to the data state on which it was based.
From technical documentation to the declaration of conformity
Technical documentation and the declaration of conformity should therefore not be managed in separate data worlds.
PakPruvo connects: packaging record → packaging components → materials → documentation → review → declaration of conformity → version.