Better packaging starts with better data. As packaging regulations multiply and reporting requirements grow more complex, many businesses still rely on fragmented systems and spreadsheets to manage critical packaging information. In this interview with SAP, we explore how connected data can help companies move beyond compliance, enabling smarter design decisions, reducing costs and identifying opportunities for circularity.
Long before a bottle, wrapper or box ever reaches a shop shelf, decisions are made on how much material it uses and whether it can be reused, recycled or recovered.
In fact, most large organisations hold vast amounts of packaging data – such as material specifications, recyclability assessments and regulatory filings. The trouble is that it tends to sit in different systems, in different formats and is owned by different internal functions that rarely talk to one another – engineering defines the materials, procurement manages suppliers, sustainability tracks environmental performance and finance handles the fees.
The result, as SAP has documented, is that many companies are still managing packaging compliance through spreadsheets and disconnected legacy systems, even as regulatory deadlines tighten. (....)