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How to reuse PPWR data for DPP and PCF
Contacting the same suppliers three times? There’s no need. This blog article shows you how PPWR, DPP, and PCF can all be served from a single database.
In brief
- The data you collect for the PPWR is needed in two other places: for the Digital Product Passport and for the Product Carbon Footprint.
- Because PPWR, DPP, and PCF draw on the same data, duplicate data collection is a real risk. This happens above all when the data is stored in isolation and other teams don’t know it exists.
- Capturing the data once in a structured way in a single system, rather than gathering it anew for every requirement, saves you additional work in the long run.
The PPWR has introduced the first binding EU-level packaging obligations for companies since August 2026, with more to follow in stages through 2030. For many procurement and packaging managers, one idea seems obvious: gather the necessary data once for the PPWR and consider the matter settled. But this exact material data is needed again elsewhere: for the Digital Product Passport and for the Product Carbon Footprint. If you don’t plan for this, you’ll end up searching for the same information a second time when the next requirement comes along.
What PPWR data you need to collect now
Some of the obligations already apply; most of the rest will follow in stages over the coming years. In force since August 2026:
- Declaration of conformity and technical documentation for every packaging item
- Manufacturer identification, for example via type, batch, or serial number
- Information on material composition
- Restrictions on certain hazardous substances, such as PFAS
Further PPWR requirements will only take effect in the coming years: The design-for-recycling criteria will be defined by 2028 and become binding from 2030, as will the minimum recycled content requirements for plastic packaging. QR code-based labeling will be phased in: From February 12, 2027, individual EU member states may require it for certain types of packaging. From August 12, 2028, harmonized EU-wide labeling with information on material composition, sorting instructions, and recycled content becomes mandatory. From February 12, 2029, an additional label for reusable packaging will be added.
Where else do you need PPWR data?
You will most likely need the material composition you document for the PPWR two more times.
For the Digital Product Passport:
According to a signal from the EU Commission, the Digital Product Passport (DPP) – a digital data set covering a product’s origin, materials, and recyclability, anchored in the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) – is set to apply to packaging from 2028; the final legal act is still pending. The PPWR already stipulates today: If another EU legal act requires a DPP for the packaged product, the packaging may carry only a single data carrier. By collecting material data in a structured way for PPWR labeling now, you’re already laying the technical and content foundation for a future packaging DPP.
For the Product Carbon Footprint:
The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), meaning an individual product’s carbon footprint across its life cycle, requires the same material composition and the same weight data as its calculation basis. If you have already captured this data properly for the PPWR, you can skip a separate data collection step here.
Looking at the specific data points makes the overlap clear:
| Data point | Relevance for PPWR | Relevance for DPP | Relevance for PCF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material composition | Mandatory | Core information | Basis for emissions calculation |
| Weight/quantity per material | Mandatory | Mandatory | Basis for mass balance |
| Recycled content | Mandatory from 2030 | Mandatory | Partly relevant for emission factors |
| Producer identification | Mandatory | Mandatory (economic operator) | Not relevant |
| Disposal and sorting information | Mandatory from 2028 | Mandatory | Indirect, via recyclability |
| Raw material origin / supplier information on upstream materials | Partly relevant | Partly relevant, especially for critical raw materials | Basis for upstream emissions data |
| Substances of concern (SVHC/REACH) | Mandatory | Mandatory | Not relevant |
How can you use these overlaps to save time and costs?
By collecting the data centrally in one solution that serves PPWR, DPP, and PCF alike, rather than in isolation across different tools.
If the material data ends up in an Excel list that only the PPWR project team knows about, you’ll request the same information from your suppliers again for the next requirement, whether DPP or PCF. If instead it’s stored where the relevant teams can access it as well, that second request is no longer needed.
Do you really need a software solution for this?
For the PPWR obligations currently in force, manual data collection is still sufficient for some companies. That is changing from two directions at once. First, the effort for the PPWR alone is growing: With the requirements added between 2027 and 2030, the number of data points per packaging item increases, as do the maintenance effort with every redesign and the number of SKUs that need to be kept up to date. Second, the same database pays off again as soon as you reuse it for DPP and PCF. A software solution therefore pays for itself twice: through the growing PPWR requirements themselves, and through reusing the data for other requirements.
What does this mean for procurement in practice?
Collecting data for the PPWR usually falls to procurement. Here are our tips for procurement teams:
- Store data centrally: Supplier, material, and product data belong in one place rather than in several isolated tools. Managing supplier data in one place is a core function of the Supply Chain Hub anyway. This means the material data for the PPWR is right where other teams can find it from the start.
- Use a shared questionnaire: Request the information for PPWR, DPP, and PCF in a single supplier request instead of reaching out again with every new requirement. Standardized fields and units ensure the responses can be reused directly.
- Involve teams early: Clarify early on which teams calculate the DPP and PCF and need access to the same data.
- Request evidence at the same time: Have data sheets, supplier declarations, and certificates submitted together with the information, and store them alongside the data. If you also anchor data delivery in framework agreements, you’ll have to follow up less later on.
- Define maintenance from the start: Determine who updates the data in the event of a redesign or a change of supplier. Otherwise, the information will become outdated before the next requirement arrives.
- Start with the biggest lever: Begin with the packaging and suppliers with the highest volume. This way, you build a reliable database early on, even with a small team.
Want to know how to effectively connect your PPWR data collection with DPP and PCF? Get in touch, and we’ll show you how to put it all into practice with VERSO.
Key questions about reusing data for PPWR, DPP, and PCF
All three draw on the same data points, such as material composition and recycled content. Legally, the Digital Product Passport (DPP) is an ESPR instrument; according to an EU signal, it is planned for packaging from 2028, but the final legal act is still pending. The PPWR already stipulates today that packaging and DPP must share a single data carrier. By collecting PPWR data in a structured way now, you’re also prepared for PCF and a future DPP.
Not necessarily. There are many overlaps between the requirements, and for this data, a single collection is sufficient.
DPP and PCF are the most obvious examples, but not the only ones. Supply chain due diligence obligations, ecodesign requirements for other product groups, and internal sustainability reports also often ask for the same material composition or supplier information. Capturing the data once in a structured way further reduces the effort for each of these requests.
The first step is taking stock: What material data is already available, where is it stored, and who in the company is already accessing it today? Building on this, you can develop a shared supplier request that covers several requirements at once, instead of launching a separate request for every new requirement.
At a minimum, the teams responsible for PPWR compliance, DPP, and PCF – typically procurement, packaging development, and sustainability. The sooner these teams know they’re using the same database, the less often they’ll request the same information from suppliers multiple times.
Yes, even if the effect is smaller with only a few SKUs. The effort for a one-time, structured collection hardly differs from an isolated collection, but the benefit when the data is used a second and third time does.
* This information is summarized editorial content and should not be construed as legal advice. VERSO accepts no liability.
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