PPWR and PIM: how Categora helps manage packaging data

PPWR and PIM: how Categora helps manage packaging data

From 12 August 2026, the PPWR will change the way packaging is managed in Europe. Find out why a PIM such as Categora helps companies centralise data, documents and compliance.

12 August 2026 is a key date for all companies that manufacture, import, distribute or market packaged products in the European Union.

This is when EU Regulation 2025/40, known as the PPWR – Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, will come into force.

PPWR: Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation

The PPWR is not just about choosing more sustainable materials. It requires companies to demonstrate, with verifiable data, that all packaging complies with requirements relating to composition, recyclability, weight and volume reduction, the presence of substances of concern, and technical documentation. The European Commission states that the regulation’s objectives include reducing packaging and the waste it generates, increasing the use of recycled materials, and ensuring the economically viable recyclability of all packaging on the EU market by 2030.

Data management with a PIM

In this context, packaging becomes a genuine data management challenge.

For many companies, in fact, information on packaging is still scattered across Excel files, suppliers’ PDFs, technical data sheets, management systems, emails and archives that are not always up to date. This makes it difficult to answer increasingly operational questions: what materials does the packaging consist of? What is the percentage of recycled material? Is primary, secondary and tertiary packaging correctly tracked? Are there up-to-date supplier declarations? Which SKUs is each component linked to?

With the introduction of the PPWR, this information can no longer remain fragmented. It must be collected, standardised, linked to products and made available to generate documentation, declarations and reports reliably.

Why a PIM becomes strategic for the PPWR

A PIM – Product Information Management – system, such as Categora, allows you to centralise product and packaging information in a single, structured data source. It is not just a matter of managing commercial descriptions or images, but of building an information model capable of linking each product to its packaging, the materials used, suppliers, certifications and technical documentation.

With Categora, the PIM developed by Cosmobile, companies can transform product data management into a more organised, controlled and scalable process.

From a PPWR perspective, this means being able to structure information such as:

• Primary, secondary and tertiary packaging
• Packaging materials and components
• Weight, volume and technical specifications
• Percentages of recycled material
• Recyclability and reuse requirements
• Supplier declarations and documents
• Links between packaging, SKUs and target markets
• Workflows for data approval and updating.

The main advantage is the ability to move from manual, fragmented management to a system where every piece of information is tracked, updated and linked to the correct product.

From data to compliance documentation

The PPWR also introduces requirements relating to technical documentation and the EU Declaration of Conformity for packaging. According to the operational guidelines on the regulation, the declaration must be supported by technical information, test results, regulatory references and consistent data on the packaging in question.

This is where the PIM becomes a valuable ally: if the data is already organised, validated and linked, the generation of documents and reports can become much faster and less prone to errors. Conversely, if information remains scattered across different departments and tools, any regulatory update or change to packaging risks becoming a time-consuming, manual task that is difficult to control.

Categora: a solid database to tackle change

The PPWR should not be viewed merely as a regulatory obligation, but as an opportunity to rethink product data governance. With Categora, companies can create a centralised information base, useful not only for compliance, but also for e-commerce, digital catalogues, B2B portals, the sales network, technical data sheets and future scenarios such as the Digital Product Passport.

Managing packaging data correctly today means preparing for a market in which sustainability, traceability and access to information will become increasingly crucial.

12 August 2026 is fast approaching. Companies that start structuring their data now will be better prepared to meet the PPWR’s requirements, reduce operational risk and turn compliance into an organisational advantage.

Categora helps businesses to centralise, control and make the most of their product and packaging data, building a solid foundation to tackle new regulatory and digital challenges.

Contact us to find out more or request a free DEMO!