The Packaging module of Keendoo PLM centralizes all packaging data for your food and beverage products (composition, recyclability, recycled content, substances, food contact) in a single, shared repository. It consolidates this data at the finished product level and uses it for your reporting requirements (Citeo, TREE, QCE Decree, Fost Plus, etc.) and to ensure your compliance with the European PPWR Regulation.
What is the PPWR, and what will change on August 12, 2026?
The PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation), Regulation (EU) 2025/40, is the new European regulation on packaging and packaging waste. It replaces the 1994 directive and will be directly applicable in all Member States as of August 12, 2026. It covers the entire life cycle of packaging, from design to end of life.
Unlike a directive, a regulation does not need to be transposed on a country-by-country basis: the same rules apply everywhere, in France as well as in Belgium. August 12, 2026, marks the start of a gradual ramp-up, with requirements becoming stricter through 2040.
The PPWR's Phased Timeline
The recyclability of packaging is categorized into performance classes based on the percentage of the packaging that is recyclable: Class A (≥ 95%), Class B (≥ 80%), Class C (≥ 70%). If the recyclability is below 70%, the packaging may no longer be placed on the market. Deadlines: Starting January 1, 2030, recyclability will be assessed based on design-for-recycling criteria (packaging rated below Class C will be excluded from the market); Starting in 2035, the criterion of “at-scale recycling” (actual recycling by volume) will be added; starting January 1, 2038, Class B will become the minimum requirement.
At the same time, minimum recycled content requirements for the plastic portion of packaging will become mandatory: as of January 1, 2030, 30% for packaging in direct contact with sensitive PET-based products, 10% for other plastics in direct contact with sensitive products, 30% for single-use plastic beverage bottles, and 35% for other plastic packaging. These thresholds will increase to 50%, 25%, 65%, and 65%, respectively, as of January 1, 2040.
The PPWR's New Requirements for Food Packaging
Beyond recyclability and recycled content, the PPWR imposes several requirements that directly affect the agri-food industries: the reduction and minimization of packaging (the void space ratio for bundled, transport, and e-commerce packaging must not exceed 50%), a 5% reduction in packaging waste per capita by 2030 compared to 2018, reuse targets for certain formats, standardized labeling to facilitate sorting, and technical documentation proving the compliance of each package.
The substances section is particularly sensitive when it comes to food contact: the PPWR restricts PFAS in packaging intended for contact with food to no more than 25 ppb for any single PFAS, 250 ppb for the sum of PFAS, and 50 ppm for total PFAS. The limits on heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium) remain in effect.
What all these requirements have in common is that each one relies on accurate, up-to-date, and verifiable packaging data. It is impossible to demonstrate a recyclability class, a recycled content percentage, or the absence of PFAS without structured and reliable data.
What packaging data does the PPWR require?
- material composition (layer by layer),
- recyclability class (A, B, or C),
- recycled content,
- substances and food contact (including PFAS),
- size and format, for optimization.
Why a Packaging Data Repository Is Becoming Essential
Simply put, the PPWR makes packaging data the foundation of compliance. Without reliable data (composition, recyclability, recycled content, substances, food contact, etc.), it is impossible to prove that a piece of packaging complies with the regulation. Managing packaging data for the PPWR is therefore no longer an option, but a requirement.
Currently, the R&D and Packaging Quality teams manage this information in Excel files, scattered technical data sheets, the ERP system, or shared folders. As a result, preparing a declaration or responding to a set of specifications becomes a time-consuming and risky process of data collection and cross-checking; some manufacturers assign several people to a single declaration campaign for months at a time.
The PPWR adds another layer of requirements to this already complex framework. Without a single repository, each new requirement leads to more research, more data entry, and a higher risk of errors. That is why centralizing packaging data in a shared repository is no longer just a convenience—it is a requirement for compliance.
The Keendoo Packaging Module: Centralize, Consolidate, and Analyze
The Packaging module is the packaging data repository for Keendoo PLM, designed in collaboration with food manufacturers for R&D and Packaging Quality teams.
Centralize data on all your packaging
Each package is described in a single reference document: product code and product family, format, dimensions and weight, layer-by-layer material composition, technical characteristics (color, opacity, closure, permeability, strength), food contact suitability, and all associated certificates and documents (food contact approval, technical data sheets, test results).
Consolidate at the finished product level
The Packaging module groups together all the packaging components that make up a consumer sales unit (CSU) or a product line, calculates their total weight, and consolidates information on recyclability, recycled content, and reuse. You get a comprehensive overview of a finished product’s packaging on a single screen.
Using Data for Your Tax Returns
Based on this reference framework, the module prepares and exports the data in the format required by your obligations: recyclability calculations for Citeo’s TREE tool, Citeo eco-contribution declarations, QCE decree information for consumers, and responses to requests for proposals. The same data, entered just once, is used for all your declarations—and, in the future, for your PPWR documentation.
Recyclability of Packaging: Measuring and Managing
To meet the PPWR recyclability classes, it is still necessary to be able to measure the recyclability of each piece of packaging. The module manages the percentage and level of recyclability, the recyclability label, and prepares the data needed for calculations in Citeo’s TREE tool. You can track the recyclability of your recyclable packaging at both the SKU level and the finished product level, and identify which packaging needs to be updated before the 2030 and 2038 deadlines.
Recycled Content and Packaging Reduction
The module tracks the percentage of recycled material by material type and the overall recycled content of a package—the exact data required by the PPWR’s recycled content targets (2030 and then 2040). Combined with weight and composition data, it also provides the basis for objectively assessing and reducing the weight and volume of your packaging, in accordance with minimization requirements.
Substances and Food Contact
This is the area where the agri-food sector’s unique characteristics make a difference. The module manages restricted substances (along with their specific migration limits, SMLs), hazardous substances, additives, barrier layers, and MOSH/MOAH levels. It allows users to view all substances introduced by packaging and to track food contact—enabling them to document compliance with PFAS restrictions and regulations governing materials in contact with food.
Reporting and Compliance: Citeo, Leko, TREE, QCE, and Fost Plus in Belgium
In France, the module already uses your data for the Citeo or Leko eco-contribution, the TREE recyclability calculation, and the QCE decree. In Belgium, it supports reporting to Fost Plus, the eco-organization that manages household packaging. This allows you to manage your reporting obligations on both sides of the border from a single database, with PPWR serving as the common regulatory framework.
Tangible benefits for your R&D and Packaging Quality teams
By centralizing packaging data and ensuring its reliability, your teams save a considerable amount of time on reporting and filings, have access to validated and up-to-date data, respond more quickly to customers and requests for proposals, and can focus on their core business—innovation and packaging optimization—rather than on administrative tasks. Above all, they can meet PPWR deadlines with a ready-to-use database, rather than having to rush at the last minute.
Want to see how you can centralize your packaging data and prepare for the PPWR?
Frequently Asked Questions About Packaging Information and Regulatory Requirements
The PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation), Regulation (EU) 2025/40, is the European regulation on packaging and packaging waste. It replaces the 1994 directive, applies throughout the European Union as of August 12, 2026, and covers the entire life cycle of packaging, from design to end of life (waste treatment and recycling).
The PPWR takes effect on August 12, 2026, and will be phased in gradually: mandatory recyclability and initial recycled content thresholds in 2030, a scale-based recycling criterion in 2035, a minimum Class B recyclability rating in 2038, and stricter recycled content targets in 2040.
To comply with the PPWR, each piece of packaging must be documented with specific data: material composition, recyclability class, recycled content, substances (including PFAS in food contact materials), and weight. Centralizing this packaging data in a single repository makes it possible to demonstrate PPWR compliance and to support reporting requirements (Citeo, Leko, TREE, QCE decree, Fost Plus, etc.).
The eco-contribution is the amount paid by producers to an eco-organization (Citeo and Leko in France, Fost Plus in Belgium) under the extended producer responsibility scheme. It funds the collection, sorting, and recycling of packaging, and its amount depends on the characteristics of the packaging (materials, weight, recyclability).
By consolidating them into a single repository, organized by packaging type and shared among the R&D, Quality, and Purchasing teams. A PLM module dedicated to packaging, such as Keendoo’s, centralizes information on composition, recyclability, substances, and documents, and then consolidates this data at the finished product level (UVC or UC).
A PLM equipped with a specialized Packaging module for the food industry, capable of natively managing food contact, substances, and migration limits, and of leveraging data for declarations (Citeo, Leko, TREE, QCE, Fost Plus) and PPWR compliance. The Packaging module of the Keendoo PLM is designed for this purpose.
By leveraging a consolidated packaging data repository at the finished product level, from which the information required for Fost Plus reporting is extracted, the Keendoo Packaging module supports Fost Plus reporting, just as it does for Citeo in France.
