Compliance in packaging management often seems like a minor detail, but it has a significant impact on risks and costs. Many companies underestimate this due to a lack of ownership and insight. In this article, find out where things go wrong and how you can actually get a handle on your supply chain.
Summary of this article
Within many industrial organisations, compliance relating to packaging rarely receives the attention it deserves. Not because it is unimportant, but because it is taken for granted. Packaging is selected, used and dispatched without any systematic consideration being given to whether everything actually complies with the applicable laws and regulations.
In practice, there is often a feeling that ‘everything is fine’. Suppliers deliver materials, products are transported safely and there are rarely any direct incidents. As a result, compliance does not appear to be an urgent issue. It remains in the background, somewhere between procurement, logistics and quality, without a clear owner or explicit safeguards.
Yet that is precisely where the risk lies. Because as long as compliance is not demonstrably organised, it remains based on assumptions. And assumptions are vulnerable. Certainly in an environment where regulations surrounding packaging are becoming increasingly complex and transparency in the supply chain is more important than ever.
There is a fundamental difference between thinking you meet the requirements and actually being able to substantiate this.
The moment a customer enquires about the materials used, or when an audit requires insight into the packaging components used, the focus of the discussion shifts. It is then no longer about what happens in practice, but about what you can demonstrate.
And that is precisely where friction arises.
Many organisations operate correctly in practice, but lack the documentation, structure or internal coordination to prove this convincingly. In such situations, compliance ceases to be a certainty and becomes a point of contention.
Not because things go wrong, but because they are not visible.
That difference may seem small, but it has a major impact on trust, collaboration and decision-making within the supply chain.
When you take a closer look at how compliance is organised within organisations, a familiar pattern emerges. The problem rarely lies in a lack of willingness, but in the structure.
In many cases, knowledge of regulations is present, but fragmented. A procurement officer knows something about material restrictions, a quality manager is familiar with certain standards, and a supplier takes care of part of the process. As long as these people remain in their roles, everything seems to function smoothly.
But what happens when things change?
As soon as knowledge is not documented, control is lost. New staff, different suppliers or revised requirements mean that implicit agreements are no longer sufficient. Compliance then turns out not to be a guaranteed process, but one dependent on individuals.
A second bottleneck lies in the way decisions are made. Packaging choices are often driven by cost, availability or logistical efficiency. Compliance is only considered afterwards – if at all.
This creates a reactive pattern.
Changes to materials, design or suppliers are implemented without a systematic assessment against regulations. Any risks only come to light once the product is already in the supply chain or when external enquiries are made.
Regulations surrounding packaging are constantly evolving. Consider developments in the areas of sustainability, material use and traceability. Yet many organisations lack a systematic way of tracking these changes and translating them into practice.
The result is predictable.
New requirements only become apparent when they become urgent – for example, during a tender process, in response to a customer enquiry or during an audit. At that point, there is little time to make adjustments, whilst the impact can be significant.
Organisations that are gaining a firmer grip on compliance are undergoing a clear shift.
Not by simply adding more rules, but by making compliance an integral part of their way of working. Decisions are not only made on the basis of costs or logistics, but are also assessed against applicable laws and regulations.
As a result, compliance is shifting from a retrospective check to a proactive framework.
The outcome is not only reduced risk, but also greater predictability. Clarity emerges, both internally and in relation to customers and supply chain partners, about what is and isn’t permitted.
Yet for many organisations, one question remains unanswered: just how mature is our approach, really?
The pressure to comply with packaging regulations will only increase in the coming years. New legislation, such as the PPWR, imposes stricter requirements on material use, reusability and transparency. At the same time, customers are increasingly expecting insight into the choices you make within your supply chain.
This means that compliance is no longer something you simply ‘do on the side’.
It is becoming a structural part of how you operate, collaborate and make decisions. Organisations that fail to anticipate this run the risk of constantly playing catch-up. Not because they are doing things wrong, but because they cannot demonstrate compliance or adapt in time.
That is the tipping point.
Compliance is shifting from an obligation to a prerequisite for remaining in the game at all. This is particularly true in sectors where reliability, traceability and sustainability are becoming increasingly important.
Many organisations feel that they are ‘reasonably well organised’. The necessary knowledge is in place, processes are working and problems are generally few and far between. But without a structured understanding, it remains difficult to determine exactly where you stand.
And that is precisely where a blind spot arises.
After all, how do you know:
Without these insights, compliance remains an assumption rather than a tool for steering the business.
Organisations that take packaging management seriously start by assessing their current situation. Not based on gut feeling, but on a structured approach.
This not only provides clarity on risks, but also on opportunities for growth.
Because it is precisely in the way you organise compliance that potential lies hidden. Potential to:
Many organisations think they’re further along than they actually are. The question isn’t whether you’re compliant, but how well you manage and make the most of it.
Would you like to know where your organisation stands and where the biggest opportunities lie? Then start the IPMM assessment now
Erik Holleman is Marketing Manager at Faes and focuses on strengthening the company’s positioning as a 4PP partner. With his expertise in strategic marketing and the Industrial Packaging Maturity Model (IPMM), he helps companies gain insight into their packaging processes and optimize them for maximum efficiency and cost savings.
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