Do your packaging solutions comply with the PPWR? With «Check for Recycling», Interzero offers a practical digital solution for assessing recyclability and preparing the declarations of conformity required by the PPWR. The manufacturer of writing instruments STABILO They tested the tool during its pilot phase, thereby helping to shape its development in line with users’ actual needs.

From the identification of potentially hazardous substances and the composition of materials to recyclability and the content of recycled material, companies placing packaging on the European market will in future be required to provide a wide range of specific data. With the Regulations on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR), the legislator aims to promote more sustainable packaging design and require manufacturers to provide a significantly higher level of transparency.

From August 2026, a Declaration of Conformity with the PPWR, accompanied by the relevant technical documentation, for each individual package.

How can businesses prepare for the PPWR in good time and manage their packaging data effectively?

And what happens if some of the required information – for example, that relating to recyclability – is not yet available within the company?

With «Check for Recycling», Interzero aims to make it as easy as possible to comply with these increasing requirements. Thanks to this new digital tool, companies can quickly, transparently and reliably assess the recyclability of their packaging and, using their own packaging data, generate the necessary technical documentation and declarations of conformity.

Furthermore, they are provided with a clear and structured overview of the results, which facilitates internal decision-making and serves as supporting documentation for clients, distributors and regulatory authorities.

STABILO is taking part in the pilot phase

In order to tailor the new tool as closely as possible to customers’ needs, Interzero enlisted several companies to act as test users from the pilot phase onwards.

One of these partners was the brand manufacturer STABILO, widely known for its coloured pencils, highlighter pens and many other writing instruments. The company supported the development process and, at the same time, gained valuable experience. Jens Weber, Team Lead for Packaging Technology at STABILO, shares his thoughts.

PPWR: What challenges does the new European Packaging Regulation pose for STABILO?

Jens Weber: The PPWR places much greater demands on manufacturers in terms of the availability, quality and traceability of packaging data. For a company such as STABILO, with an international product range and a large number of packaging variants, the main challenge lies not so much in each individual package as in the ability to scale up processes.

In addition to the development of the packaging itself, it will be necessary in future to prepare technical documentation, conformity assessments and numerous other regulatory requirements in a structured manner. We are therefore addressing, at an early stage, the question of how to manage packaging data efficiently, evaluate it and use it to meet various requirements.

Why did you decide to try out Interzero’s «Check for Recycling» tool?

Jens Weber: As part of our preparations for the PPWR, we are analysing and evaluating various approaches to help us meet regulatory requirements. Taking part in the «Check for Recycling» pilot phase gave us the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the development of a new tool and, at the same time, to contribute our requirements from a manufacturer’s perspective.

What proved particularly interesting about «Check for Recycling» was the combination of packaging data management with recyclability assessment. For companies with an extensive range of packaging, it will be essential to be able to collect data consistently, reuse it and make it available to meet various reporting requirements. The pilot phase enabled us to analyse the extent to which these kinds of needs can be met through digital solutions.

What are the main conclusions from the trial phase, and what do you consider to be the greatest added value of this digital solution?

Jens Weber: The main benefit of the pilot phase was the opportunity to compare the actual needs of day-to-day work with the development of a digital tool. In particular, we provided feedback on aspects such as the representation of complex packaging structures, the reuse of components and scalability to manage a large number of SKUs (product references); these suggestions were successfully implemented by Interzero’s development team.

Broadly speaking, we see great potential in solutions that enable the centralised management of packaging data and the generation of the various regulatory assessments and necessary documentation based on that data. Particularly in the context of the PPWR, it will be very important for many companies to avoid entering the same information multiple times and, instead, to work with coherent and consistent data structures. The pilot phase of «Check for Recycling» has demonstrated which requirements are truly relevant from the perspective of an international brand manufacturer.