PPWR and PIM: how Categora simplifies packaging data management
PPWR and PIM: how Categora simplifies packaging data management
From 12 August 2026, EU Regulation 2025/40, known as the PPWR – Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, will come into force.
The regulation applies to companies that manufacture, import or market packaged products within the European Union and introduces new requirements regarding the composition, recyclability, weight, volume, recycled content and technical documentation of packaging.
The PPWR is also a matter of data
In many companies, information on packaging is still scattered across Excel files, technical data sheets, PDFs, emails and various management systems.
This fragmentation makes it difficult to quickly determine:
- What materials each piece of packaging is made of
- What percentage of recycled material it contains
- Which packaging is associated with each product or SKU
- Whether supplier documents are up to date
- Whether primary, secondary and tertiary packaging is being tracked correctly.
To address PPWR, this data must be collected, standardised and reliably linked to products.
Why use a PIM for PPWR
A PIM – Product Information Management system such as Categora allows you to centralise all product and packaging information on a single platform.
With Categora, you can manage:
- Packaging materials and components
- Weight, volume and dimensions
- Recycled material percentages
- Recyclability and reuse requirements
- Certifications and technical documents
- Links between packaging, SKUs, suppliers and markets
- Approval and update workflows.
In this way, all information is tracked, kept up to date and linked to the correct product.
From data to compliance
Having structured data also simplifies the preparation of technical data sheets, reports and declarations of conformity.
The PIM reduces manual tasks, minimises errors and makes it easier to update information when a product, packaging or regulatory requirement changes.
Categora for packaging data management
The PPWR is a requirement, but also an opportunity to improve product data governance.
With Categora, companies can build an information base that is useful not only for compliance, but also for e-commerce, catalogues, B2B portals, the sales network and future projects related to the Digital Product Passport.
Contact us to find out how Categora can help you centralise your product and packaging data, or request a free demo.