FlavorCloud CEO: Global e-commerce sellers redesign packaging to comply with PPWR

Packaging compliance will evolve from a largely documentation-led obligation into a measurable design and data discipline, says Rathna Sharad, CEO at FlavorCloud. 

Global sellers are increasingly rethinking packaging systems to meet evolving EU regulations while reducing waste, costs, and environmental impacts. 

Packaging Insights speaks to Sharad about the real-world impact of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and how brands and cross-border e-commerce sellers can ensure compliance.

What are some of the compliance gaps you are seeing among e-commerce sellers?

Sharad: The biggest gap is that many sellers still treat PPWR as a customs requirement. It is a product compliance regulation, so a shipment clearing customs does not mean its packaging is compliant. 

We are seeing brands underestimate the roles they hold. A non-EU seller whose name appears on the packaging may be considered the manufacturer, while also being the producer responsible for EPR registration in each member state where it sells.

Other common gaps include incomplete technical files, missing supplier declarations for materials, inks, and adhesives, and assuming that one EPR registration covers the entire EU. 

There is also confusion around timing: documentation, current substance restrictions, recyclability principles, and packaging minimization matter now, while requirements such as recyclability grades, recycled-content thresholds, and the 50% empty-space limit arrive later. Brands need to prepare for different horizons without conflating them.

How can brands assess whether their packaging is compliant?

Sharad: A recycling symbol, kraft-paper appearance, or sustainability claim is not proof of compliance. Brands need evidence at the level of each packaging unit. That begins with a complete understanding of the packaging’s materials and components — including coatings, inks, adhesives, and inserts — and documentation from suppliers demonstrating that the applicable substance and recyclability requirements are met.

Brands should then test that information against the PPWR requirements currently in force, compile the required technical file, and sign aPPWR is a market rule rather than a border rule; customs clearance does not confirm PPWR compliance, according to FlavorCloud.Declaration of Conformity. They must also examine whether the packaging uses only the material and volume necessary to protect and deliver the product. Compliance is therefore not a marketing judgment; it is a documented, traceable assessment that a brand must be able to substantiate to an authority.

With the EU targeting excessive packaging and empty space in e-commerce shipments, how will the PPWR impact design?

Sharad: The 50% empty-space limit does not apply until 2030, but brands should not wait until then to redesign their packaging systems. Packaging decisions involve supplier contracts, fulfillment equipment, testing, and inventory cycles that can take years to change.

We expect sellers to move away from a small number of oversized standard boxes toward right-sized packaging, broader carton assortments, flexible mailers, and automated dimensioning or on-demand packaging. Brands will also need to consider the product package and shipping package as one system, rather than adding layers at fulfillment.

That can create a commercial benefit alongside compliance: reducing unnecessary space can lower material use, dimensional shipping charges, and transportation emissions. Because PPWR covers packaging placed on the EU market regardless of the seller’s location, its design influence will extend well beyond Europe.

How can brands monitor EU shipping lanes and track developments?

Sharad: PPWR is a harmonized EU regulation, but enforcement occurs through national market-surveillance authorities, and implementation signals may emerge differently across member states. Monitoring EU lanes helps us distinguish a broader compliance development from an isolated customs, carrier, or documentation issue.

FlavorCloud can identify patterns in documentation requests, holds, delivery performance, and returns across countries and carriers, then translate those signals into practical guidance for merchants. That visibility gives brands more time to correct documentation or operational processes before a localized issue becomes a widespread disruption.

It does not replace the seller’s responsibility to comply, but it reduces the risk of merchants learning about a change only after customers and shipments have already been affected.

How do you expect packaging compliance to evolve for e-commerce sellers over the next few years?

Sharad: The immediate focus is on identifying each seller’s role, maintaining Technical Files and Declarations of Conformity, meeting current material and minimization requirements, and managing EPR registration country by country. Harmonized labeling requirements follow in 2028, with more consequential design requirements, including recyclability grading, recycled-content thresholds, numerical minimization rules, and the 50% empty-space limit — scheduled for 2030.

As a result, packaging data will need to become part of a brand’s core product information, alongside classification, origin, and value. The sellers best positioned for this transition will be those that connect packaging design, procurement, fulfillment, and compliance. Over time, the question will no longer be whether packaging looks sustainable, but whether the seller can demonstrate — market by market — that it meets specific, verifiable standards.