Packaging, component, material — how they differ

The division into three levels can be confusing at first, but the logic is simple: packaging is the whole item you place on the market, a component is a separable part of it, and material is the substance from which the component is made.

Example

A printed carton sealed with tape and containing a foam insert:

• Packaging: shipping carton 400 × 300 × 250 mm.
• Components: box, print, adhesive, tape, insert.
• Materials: corrugated board, flexographic ink, dispersion adhesive, polypropylene, expanded polyethylene.

Why we separate them

Because limits are calculated for the whole, while evidence is provided separately for each part. One plant makes the board, another the ink, a third the adhesive — and each is responsible only for its own part. You sign the declaration for the total.

Practical rule

If something has a separate supplier or a separate document, it is a separate component. If it cannot be separated from the rest and comes from a single source, a material is sufficient.

Do not split unnecessarily. A record divided into twenty components where five would be enough is not more accurate — it is simply harder to maintain.