Where to get the data if you are starting from scratch

Companies that have never kept packaging documentation usually assume they need to collect everything from scratch. That is rarely the case.

Specifications and technical drawings

They are held by the packaging supplier or in the purchasing department, together with the orders. Dimensions, basis weight and material composition are usually in the specification you received with the first order.

Material technical data sheets

Inks, adhesives, varnishes, films — each of these materials has a data sheet from the manufacturer. The packaging supplier usually has them because they needed them themselves.

Certificates and test reports

If you have ever carried out migration or heavy metal content testing, the results are in the quality archive. They may predate the Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste and still be useful.

What is usually missing

What is most often missing is information on substances referred to in Article 5 for ancillary materials: adhesives, inks and coatings. The packaging manufacturer is responsible for its own part, but rarely for components you purchased yourself. These are precisely the gaps the application identifies, and they are worth asking about first.