PPWR and DPP: "More opportunities than risks"

The EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) and the Digital Product Passport (DPP) mean a great deal of pressure to change for all companies along the value chain: materials have to be verified, packaging concepts revised, data compiled and documented. Ultimately, the results have to be provided on the product or packaging in a compliant, high-quality and permanent manner. "PPWR and DPP are currently driving all of our customers," says Frank Debusmann, National Sales Director at REA Elektronik, an expert in industrial coding and marking.

Many companies are only gradually becoming aware of what they will be facing with these innovations. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is intended to kick-start the packaging cycle, promote the use of recyclates in production and their subsequent recyclability. When the PPWR comes into force on August 12, 2026, a corresponding labeling obligation will also begin, which will increase in stages. This begins with the indication of batch or serial numbers and contact details of the producer. This will be followed by harmonized Europe-wide marking from 12 August 2028. At the same time, the EU has been introducing the Digital Product Passport (DPP) since this year. The DPP requirement is gradually being extended to more and more sectors. A machine-readable 2D Code, often a QR code, is intended to provide easy access to product data on the internet, such as information on composition, sustainability, origin, recyclability of the product and much more. A best-before date, batch and/or serial number are encoded directly in the code.

Both requirements are intended to promote a sustainable and transparent circular economy throughout Europe. Companies that place goods or packaging on the market have to collect all the necessary data and ensure its availability.

"The implementation of PPWR and DPP also puts coding and marking technologies to the test, as manufacturers have to be able to generate the new codes, apply them to packaging and products - and ensure that they remain permanent even on changed material compositions or completely new materials," says Frank Debusmann, Sales Director national at REA Elektronik, an expert in industrial coding and marking. He adds: "The innovations don't make us nervous ourselves. We have hardware-software expertise and the corresponding ink know-how. With our measuring systems (REA Verifier) for print quality control, we are the leading provider in Europe."

As the market leader in pharmaceutical serialization, REA has been applying individual 2D Codes to products and packaging with its coding and marking technologies for many years. With this experience, the South Hessian company is now also an experienced partner for other industries in the implementation of PPWR requirements and the introduction of the Digital Product Passport. For many years, REA has been a GS1 Solution Provider, setting the global standards in terms of data structure and quality. REA's experts also sit on various international standards committees and incorporate the knowledge gained there into the product lines developed and produced by REA in Germany.

Code development in accordance with GS1 standards

Every marking process begins with data preparation. "The companies collect all the information such as certificates and clearance certificates and consolidate their database, then we come into play," explains Debusmann. "Our job is to physically transfer the data to the packaging or product. Our systems first turn the data strings into the GS1 QR code, the QR code with digital link or other symbologies such as GS1 DataMatrix. Specific country requirements such as the Cryptocode as a special form of GS1 DataMatrix are no problem. The GS1 standards help us here because they work with a uniform data structure."

Controlling the subsequent marking via the database-supported REA solutions, such as the Customization Suite, ensures that each product and packaging is given its own unique marking - meaning that each code is only assigned once, no matter how many production lines or sites the company has. In addition, the correct preparation of the data can be carried out using label management software such as NiceLabel (Loftware) or Codesoft (Teklynx) and processed directly by the REA printing systems.

"The right coding and marking technologies for every application"

The more resource-efficient use of materials demanded by the PPWR and the principle of "design for recycling" require the industry to make massive changes. "Every packaging change also becomes a marking project, because every new material has a different surface with different adhesive properties," says Debusmann.

REA's Business Development Managers keep an eye on the market and its development so that REA can develop products for the changing requirements at an early stage. REA also works with major packaging and film manufacturers to ensure their practical suitability. One example is the monomaterials emerging as a result of the PPWR: made from just one type of plastic, they are much easier to recycle than traditional multi-layer composite materials. However, they pose a new challenge for marking: Monomaterials and foils have a lower surface tension than other plastics, and inks adhere less well to them. With its new developments, REA Elektronik enables manufacturers to reconcile regulatory requirements and recyclability. The new UV laser from REA marks products and packaging made of plastics, including monomaterials, in a razor-sharp and permanent way by color change in the plastic itself. UV-curing special inks for the REA JET piezo-based direct printing systems also adhere particularly well to mono films and other plastics. The low migration inks enable high-quality, high-resolution direct coding of plastic packaging for food production. Their special adhesion ensures that the ink does not penetrate the foil and does not smear into the product.

Whatever packaging or product needs to be marked reliably and in compliance with regulations - "we don't just want to create solutions, we can," says Debusmann. This is supported by the wide range of technologies from REA Elektronik - from the REA LASER product line to the contact-free direct printing systems from REA JET and the labeling solutions from REA LABEL. Directly applied to the material, permanently printed on the product or with plastic labels on plastic packaging or linerless paper labels on cartons for primary, secondary or shipping packaging. Debusmann: "We find the right coding and marking technologies for every application."

Code verification - inline or on a random basis

Finally, companies also have to be sure that the PPWR or DPP marking not only adheres to the product, but is also GS1-compliant, readable and meets international standards. REA does not leave it to others to judge its quality promise. "We are not only the ones who can create codes and apply them with a high level of quality - we can also prove it," says Debusmann. "Our REA Verifier systems for code verification enable companies to verify the performance capability of our coding and marking technologies themselves - inline or on a random basis. " It is important to understand that the responsibility for code quality - unlike with the previously static EAN-13 codes - is transferred from the packaging printer to the manufacturer. This is because the variable 2D Codes have to be created and printed end-of-line. Finally, the latest development, "REA Print-Inspect", combines the steps of code creation, high-resolution printing and reliable result control - either in the form of individual components or as a turn-key solution with conveyor belt and ejection: the code is created with special software via the user interface of a panel PC, the printing system such as the high-performance REA JET High Resolution Inkjet Printer HR is controlled and the integrated camera for immediate control of the high-resolution print images.

Despite all the challenges and hurdles that PPWR and DPP pose for the industry, Debusmann says: "The Digital Product Passport in particular offers more opportunities than risks - for example for product development, customer loyalty and tracking commodity flows." For example, end customers can use the DPP to additionally register the systems in order to receive service and aftersales in the respective target countries. "And the QR code opens up completely new possibilities for customer communication."