Europe’s new sustainability legislation demands consistent, verifiable, and Europe’s new sustainability legislation creates strict, harmonised rules for packaging, digital product passports, environmental claims, and lifecycle reporting. To stay compliant, companies must collect structured data, provide traceable evidence, and communicate impacts transparently.
Pickler turns these legal requirements into clear data structures, verified calculations, and ready-to-use reporting, so you can confidently meet EU obligations without navigating the regulatory complexity yourself.
How Pickler aligns with EU sustainability frameworks
Pickler is built around a regulation-aligned data model, where every field is explicitly connected to a legal requirement. Compliance is achieved through four mechanisms:
1. Regulation-aligned data structures (PPWR, ESPR/DPP, CSRD, GCD)
Pickler’s data model is designed directly from the EU legal texts.
Every compliance field maps to:
PPWR Articles & Annexes (recyclability, minimisation, reuse, compostability, substances, declarations)
ESPR/DPP Annex II & III (composition, traceability, substances of concern, disposal, documentation)
CSRD ESRS E1–E5 indicators (climate, pollution, water, biodiversity, circularity)
Green Claims Directive rules for substantiation and evidence
This ensures that the data you enter matches the structure and terminology required by regulators.
2. Evidence-based workflows
Every claim in Pickler follows the same compliance workflow:
Step 1 — Turn the claim ON only when true - If not true or not verified → leave OFF
Step 2 — Enter the verified value - % recycled content, % biobased content, concentration, compostability category, reuse cycles, etc.
Step 3 — Select your proof type - Certification, test report, declaration, internal documentation.
This workflow mirrors what the legislation demands: claims must be clear, specific, and supported by evidence.
Pickler does not store documents, but ensures data is structured precisely for audit trails and DPP publication.
3. Digital Product Passport-ready by design
Pickler automatically structures your product data and footprint data into a DPP-ready format including:
Material composition
Substances of concern
Recyclability and disposal instructions
Reuse and minimisation
Certifications and conformity
Traceability (origin, batch, supply chain)
Versioned passport ID
This aligns directly with ESPR/DPP Annex III and ensures your packaging can be placed on the EU market when DPP becomes mandatory.
Learn more how Pickler's Product Passport aligns with DPP and PPWR
4. Verified environmental impact data
Pickler’s lifecycle calculations:
follow ISO 14040/14044
use IDEMAT verified reference data
were independently verified by Normec Verifavia
support CSRD environmental reporting (E1–E5)
are approved by ACM for transparent consumer communication
This provides a scientific and regulator-approved foundation for your environmental claims.
What Pickler does NOT do
To avoid any misunderstanding, Pickler does not replace legal or certification services.
Pickler does not audit or validate your certificates or declarations - You must verify that supplier documents are genuine and up-to-date.
Pickler does not certify your packaging - We do not issue compostability certificates, recyclability audits, or FSC/PEFC chain-of-custody verification.
Pickler does not submit regulatory reports - You can use Pickler's data into your PPWR/CSRD/DPP reporting systems.
Pickler does not judge legal compliance - Pickler structures and calculates data; you remain responsible for accuracy and supporting evidence.
Pickler does not decide CSRD materiality - Pickler provides environmental impact data; you determine what is material to report.
How Pickler aligns with each regulation
Here is the clean, concise overview you liked earlier — now strengthened with explicit “how Pickler complies” language.
1. Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)
Regulation (EU) 2025/40
PPWR defines EU-wide rules for packaging recyclability, reuse, minimisation, compostability, traceability, and reporting.
How Pickler supports PPWR compliance
Structured data fields for recyclability, minimisation, reuse, compostability, recycled content, biobased content, and hazardous substances
Recyclability grades and design-for-recycling criteria aligned with PPWR Art. 6, 8 & Annex II
Minimisation and empty-space reporting aligned with Art. 10 & Annex IV
Reuse declarations aligned with Art. 11 & Annex V
All packaging attributes stored per unit (product, pack, case, pallet), as PPWR requires
EU Declaration of Conformity fields included
Where to learn more:
2. Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) & Digital Product Passport (DPP)
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires companies to disclose their sustainability performance according to standardized criteria called European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
These standards cover five environmental topics (E1–E5): climate, pollution, water, biodiversity, and resource use.
How Pickler aligns:
Pickler’s lifecycle-based data model covers all ESRS E1–E5 domains and links directly to CSRD reporting.
Because all indicators are calculated at product level, companies can use Pickler data directly in their CSRD sustainability statements or ESRS-aligned dashboards.
Pickler’s data structure also enables companies to:
Supply verified Scope 3 product impact data to their own customers for inclusion in downstream CSRD or carbon accounting reports.
Integrate product-level environmental data into value chain reporting, fulfilling the requirement to disclose upstream and downstream impacts.
Export standardized datasets for ESRS E1 (Climate Change) and E5 (Resource Use and Circular Economy) indicators.
This means that using Pickler, companies can both report on their own environmental footprint and provide compliant impact data to customers who must report on the same products in their own Scope 3 disclosures.
Proof of compliance:
Pickler’s methodology was independently verified by Normec Verifavia, confirming full alignment with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 (the foundation of CSRD environmental data).
All Pickler indicators follow ESRS terminology and can be linked to CSRD Annex I metrics.
Scope limitations
Pickler does not generate or submit CSRD reports on behalf of companies.
Determining which sustainability topics are material to your organization remains your responsibility; Pickler provides the verified data to support that assessment.
Pickler focuses on environmental metrics (E1–E5). Data related to social (S1–S5) or governance (G1–G3) standards should be collected separately.
Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) (Regulation (EU) 2025/40) replaces the Packaging Waste Directive and sets mandatory EU-wide rules for packaging design, recyclability, reuse, and data transparency.
Its main goals are to reduce waste, increase recyclability, and standardize packaging data reporting across all member states.
How Pickler aligns:
Pickler’s packaging data model is PPWR-ready and links every data field to specific PPWR articles and annexes (e.g. Art. 6 and Annex II).
This enables companies to:
Capture and report packaging attributes such as material type, recyclability class, recycled and biobased content.
Generate PPWR-compliant reports at product, pack, case, and pallet level.
Integrate recyclability and end-of-life parameters directly into lifecycle impact results.
Indicate evidence and certifications such as FSC/PEFC, DIN CERTCO, ISO 14025 EPD, EN 13432 compostability, and CITEO recyclability assessments are available.
Demonstrate compliance with design-for-recycling and minimisation principles (e.g. verified weight reduction, component simplification, and reuse schemes).
Proof of compliance:
Each Pickler record contains traceable documentation and declarations, including EU Declarations of Conformity and lab test reports.
Recyclability grades and material recovery evidence (e.g. “Recyclable with conditions – grade C”) are directly linked to regulatory annexes.
Pickler’s reporting framework ensures that companies can demonstrate compliance with the PPWR’s recyclability, reuse, and labelling obligations.
Digital product passport (DPP / ESPR )
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781).
It requires that every product placed on the EU market includes a digital record — accessible via a QR code — containing sustainability and circularity data such as composition, recyclability, substances of concern, and end-of-life instructions.
How Pickler aligns:
Pickler’s data structure follows the DPP requirements and can automatically generate product-level passports that include:
Lifecycle impact results (CO₂ footprint, eco-costs, eco-score).
Material composition and recycled content (e.g. paper, PE film, aluminium foil).
Substances of concern and certification data (PFAS, heavy metals, biobased and recycled content, ISO/EN certificates).
Reuse and disposal instructions including deposit schemes, recycling and compostability guidelines.
Geographic traceability of manufacturing, processing, and end-of-life stages.
Evidence and documentation such as EPDs, FSC/PEFC certificates, EN 13432 compostability, and design-for-recycling assessments (e.g. CITEO).
Proof of compliance:
Pickler’s DPP exports are based on Annex III of the ESPR, ensuring compatibility with the upcoming EU digital passport schema.
All data fields — from environmental impact to material origin — are traceable, versioned, and auditable (e.g. Passport ID, version number, evidence documents).
Each DPP record in Pickler can be linked via QR code to public-facing transparency pages, aligning with ESPR’s accessibility and verification requirements.
Green Claims Directive (GCD)
The Green Claims Directive is part of the EU Green Deal and aims to combat greenwashing.
It ensures that companies’ environmental claims are clear, accurate, verifiable, and relevant, protecting consumers from misleading sustainability messages.
How Pickler aligns:
Pickler is dedicated to delivering reliable, accurate, and fair insights into packaging impacts, with a strong focus on making clear and substantiated claims.
To ensure this, Pickler follows the anti-greenwash guidelines of Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM), the Netherlands’ regulator for fair competition and consumer protection.
The ACM has approved Pickler’s communication and visuals in its impact reports, widget, and comparisons, confirming they meet all requirements for clear, accurate, and evidence-based sustainability communication.
By aligning with both ACM guidelines and the EU Green Claims Directive, Pickler ensures that all sustainability claims are:
Evidence-based: Every claim is backed by ISO 14044-compliant LCA data and IDEMAT background values.
Clear and specific: Pickler avoids vague language (“eco-friendly”) and instead presents measurable impact results.
Relevant: The platform highlights significant lifecycle impacts instead of marginal or isolated benefits.
Comparable: All product comparisons use standardized calculation rules and functional units.
Substantiated: Each claim is linked to traceable, verifiable data sources.
Proof of compliance:
Pickler’s impact reports, widget, and comparison visuals are reviewed and approved by the ACM, verifying that the claims meet Dutch and EU anti-greenwashing standards.
All claims are backed by ISO-verified LCA methodology and IDEMAT data, ensuring scientific credibility.
This dual alignment — with the ACM’s five principles and the EU Green Claims Directive — provides companies with a solid, regulator-approved foundation for making transparent, compliant sustainability claims.