PPWR supplier guide

Why does my customer need information from me?

Under PPWR, whoever designs a piece of packaging, or whose logo or trademark appears on it, is the "manufacturer" of that packaging unit. The manufacturer is legally responsible for:

• Collecting data to assess compliance (substances of concern, materials, recyclability)

• Compiling technical documentation as evidence

• Issuing a signed Declaration of Conformity (DoC) before the packaging enters the EU market

Your customer is likely the manufacturer for the packaging you supply to them, because they influenced its design or carry their brand on it. That means they need the underlying data from you to complete their compliance obligations.

What information will I need to provide?

Depending on the packaging type, you may be asked to provide:

• Material composition — specific breakdown of components, layers, weights

• Substances of concern — heavy metal concentrations (required for all packaging) and PFAS levels (required for food contact packaging)

• Recyclability — evidence that the packaging is designed for recyclability under the current EN 13430:2004 standard

• Technical drawings or design documents — conceptual design (shape, structure, size) and/or technical drawings (layer thicknesses, varnishes, weights)

• Test results — certified lab results for heavy metals or PFAS, if available

Some of this may already exist as supplier documentation or certificates. You can upload these directly in Coolset.

Getting started

This guide walks through every step. If you get stuck, click the blue chat icon inside the platform to reach the Coolset support team.

Step 1: Accept the invitation and set up your account

• Accept the invitation email sent by your customer.

• Create your Coolset account and set up your workspace.

• You can invite colleagues to help — there is no limit on team members.

To invite colleagues: go to Company → Team Members → Invite.

Step 2: Check your incoming requests

Inside your workspace, go to the "Request" tab. Here you will find the incoming requests your customer has sent you. Each request corresponds to a product in their catalog for which they need packaging data.

Review the requests before proceeding, your customer has specified which products they need packaging information on. You will link your own packaging types to these requests in Step 4.

📄 How to review and link incoming PPWR requests

Step 3: Add your products and packaging types

Before you can respond to a request, you need to have your packaging catalog set up in Coolset. What you need to add depends on the type of request your customer sent.

If your customer requested a full product: Your customer does not yet know which packaging types make up this product, they are asking you to provide that information. In this case:

• Create a product in your own catalog that corresponds to your customer's product.

• Add all known packaging types to that product (e.g., the bottle, the cap, the label).

When you link your product to your customer's product in Step 4, the packaging types you added will automatically appear in your customer's workspace.

If your customer requested a specific packaging type: Your customer already knows which packaging type they need data for. In this case, you only need to add that packaging type to your catalog, no product creation needed.

You can add items manually or import them via the CSV template (download from the import button).

📄 How to add products under PPWR?

📄 How to add packaging types and components under PPWR?

For more info on what is a packaging type, check:

📄 Understanding packaging categories, types, and components in PPWR

Step 4: Link your catalog to the incoming request

Once your catalog is set up, link it to the relevant incoming request.

• Open the incoming request in the Request tab.

• For a product request: link your product to your customer's product. Your packaging types will propagate automatically to their workspace.

• For a packaging type request: link your packaging type directly. The questionnaire data you complete will propagate to your customer's workspace.

📄 How to review and link incoming PPWR requests

Step 5: Complete the packaging questionnaire

For each linked packaging type, open it in the PPWR tab and complete the packaging questionnaire. This is the main form for submitting compliance data to your customer.

The questionnaire covers:

• Basic information — including whether the packaging has food contact (this determines PFAS obligations)

• Materials and components — weight, layers, and material breakdown per component

• Substances of concern — heavy metals (all packaging) and PFAS (food contact packaging only)

• Recyclability — upload supporting evidence for the EN 13430:2004 standard

• Role confirmation — confirm whether you are the manufacturer of this packaging type

You do not need to complete all sections at once. You can save progress and return.

Uploading documents: Use the paperclip icon next to each relevant question. Documents are stored in a shared library, if the same document applies to multiple questions, you only need to upload it once.

📄 How to complete the PPWR packaging questionnaire

Step 6: Check your submission status

After running the assessment, each compliance control shows a status. You can review these on the packaging type overview screen in the PPWR tab.

Statuses you may see:

The controls checked include substances of concern, PFAS restrictions, EN 13430 recyclability compliance, document completeness, and heavy metal restrictions.

If a control is Failing, click on it to see which specific check is at issue, then reopen the questionnaire to address it. The most common cause is a missing design document or technical drawing under Materials, design, and diagrams. After making changes, click Update assessment results again.

📄 How to resolve failing risks in your PPWR conformity scores

Step 7: Keep your data up to date

Once submitted, your data stays in Coolset and does not need to be re-entered unless something changes. You must update your packaging type and resubmit if:

• The material, weight, or dimensions of a packaging type change

• A new component or layer is introduced

• You change suppliers for a material or component

• There is a new product inside the packaging

• New regulatory requirements come into force (e.g., from 2030 onwards)

Frequently asked questions

1. Do I need to test my packaging myself? Not necessarily. If you already have test certificates from a certified lab for heavy metals or PFAS, upload those. If no test results exist, you may need to arrange testing. For many materials (e.g., virgin paper), the chance of heavy metal contamination is very low, and your customer's compliance team can advise on the level of evidence required.

2. What if I am the manufacturer of the packaging, not just a supplier? If you designed the packaging and your own logo appears on it (rather than your customer's), you may be the manufacturer. In that case, you are responsible for issuing the Declaration of Conformity yourself. Indicate this in the "role confirmation" section of the questionnaire, and the platform will guide you through the DOC signing process.

3. My packaging is the same as what I deliver to other customers. Can I reuse submissions? Yes. Coolset stores your packaging types and questionnaire data. Once a packaging type is complete, you can link it to multiple customer requests without re-entering data.

4. What does "food and drink contact" mean for my packaging? Food and drink contact packaging is any packaging that directly touches food or is intended to. PFAS limits apply only to food contact packaging. If you are unsure, check with your customer or the Coolset support team.

5. What is the difference between a packaging type and a product? A product is what your customer sells (e.g., a Coconut oil shampoo). A packaging type is the physical packaging component (e.g., the HDPE bottle itself, including label, lid, glue, etc.). Your customer maps their products to packaging types. Your role as a supplier is to provide data at the packaging type level.

6. My customer says I'm in "self-declared due diligence" mode, what does that mean? This means your customer has set up a workspace on your behalf and can enter data directly. You may still be invited to review or confirm the data. If you have questions, contact your customer or reach out via the in-app chat.

7. What are the retention requirements? Your customer must retain technical documentation and the Declaration of Conformity for:

   • 5 years for single-use packaging

   • 10 years for reusable packaging

   • Coolset stores all submitted data and documents automatically, so your customer can retrieve audit bundles at any time.

8. When must the Declaration of Conformity be signed? Before the packaging is placed on the EU market. The PPWR obligations under Phase 1 apply from 12 August 2026. Your customer must sign their DOC before that date for all in-scope packaging.

Need help?

Click the blue chat icon inside the Coolset platform at any time to reach the support team.