Built on data you can trust
From California’s SB54 to the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, and now the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) across the ANZ region, packaging regulation is no longer a local, voluntary matter. Three different regulatory traditions are converging on the same underlying demand: proof. Not a commitment, not an estimate, but a verified, auditable data set behind every packaging claim a business makes.
JRC has spent 30 years building exactly that kind of data foundation for CPG clients across global markets. The good news is that same process that satisfies a regulator also tends to uncover savings, in material, weight and freight, and that can go a long way toward paying for the compliance work itself.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applies generally from 12 August 2026, and it treats packaging as a regulated product component, not a design choice.Recyclability, reuse, restrictions on excess packaging, and new EPR obligations all apply from that date, with a further tightening of design and labelling rules through 2028 and new rules on right sizing scheduled for 2030. Brands selling into the EU are already being asked to substantiate claims they’ve made for years on the back of an estimate rather than a verified figure.
Different regulators, different forms, the same underlying question: can you prove it? A recycled content claim, a reported weight, a recyclability rating, none of it holds up if it traces back to an estimate rather than a verified source.
This is where most compliance programs struggle, not because the regulation is unclear, but because the underlying packaging data was never built to be audited. Bills of materials drift out of date. Material classifications get inherited from a spreadsheet nobody remembers building. Recycled content claims get carried forward from a vendor conversation that happened years ago.
JRC works directly with plants, vendors, and internal data systems to verify BOM accuracy, material classification, and recycled content claims at SKU level, building a single data set that can stand behind a report, whichever regulator is asking for it. Built once, it holds up under SB54, PPWR, an APCO submission, or whatever comes next, rather than needing to be rebuilt from scratch for every new regime. We have also worked for clients to upload data into their internal or approved third-party auditing tools, to help create a clear pathway to compliance.
Verifying packaging data at this level of detail has a side effect worth planning for: it routinely surfaces packaging that’s heavier, larger, or less efficient than it needs to be. We can also use this data to drive some of our proprietary software tools, to identify sub-optimal pallets across the supply chain, as well as oversized cases, excess void space, materials chosen years ago for reasons nobody can now recall…etc.
PPWR’s own restrictions on excess empty space and SB54’s source reduction requirements point at the same opportunity from opposite directions: packaging that’s leaner also tends to be cheaper to make, ship, and report on. In practice, the savings identified during this kind of review, in material, weight, and pallet efficiency, have gone a long way toward offsetting the cost of the compliance program that uncovered them.
Supply chain optimization starts with insight. We take a data-led approach to understanding how packaging, production, and logistics interact – then design strategies that deliver measurable improvement across every stage.
Our typical process includes:
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Over thirty years working across packaging and supply chain performance improvement projects, with clients spanning markets across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pac, MEA and ANZ regions. We have also worked directly with academia, NGOs and Government agencies to help build rules, interpretations and data sets for meaningful sustainability target setting.
That reach, combined with our wide industry experience, means JRC has typically already solved the specific problem a business is facing under SB54 or PPWR in another market first, rather than working it out from scratch.
Whichever regulation applies to your business, the starting point is the same: data you can stand behind. Get in touch to discuss your compliance program.Â
Our experience spans multiple sectors – from consumer goods and retail to food, healthcare, and pharma – giving us a unique understanding of how packaging decisions affect every part of the supply chain. Whether optimizing portfolios for global brands or improving sustainability for regional producers, we bring data-led insight and hands-on expertise to deliver measurable results across every industry we serve.
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