> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.polygon-one.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Recommended Workflow

> Our recommended path to PPWR compliance — compact, in the right order

## The Path to PPWR Compliance

This page summarizes the conformity process in one place — in the order that has proven itself in practice. The goal: by the **general date of application on 12 August 2026**, every packaging unit has complete technical documentation and an EU declaration of conformity.

<Tip>
  The [PPWR Cockpit](/en/ppwr/cockpit) shows you at any time where each packaging unit stands in the process and what comes next. This page explains *why* the stages make sense in this order.
</Tip>

The most important practical tip up front: **the decisive data — material composition, heavy metal values, PFAS evidence, recycled content — sits with your suppliers**, not with you. Supplier data requests are therefore the most time-consuming part of the process. Build up your master data quickly and send the requests as early as possible; everything else runs in parallel.

## The Four Stages

<Steps>
  <Step title="Stage 1: Build Master Data" icon="database">
    Create your [articles, packaging units, and components](/en/ppwr/stammdaten/uebersicht) and link them into a bill of materials. The **packaging unit** is the subject of the declaration of conformity — it must be complete before the declaration can be produced.

    Use the [CSV import](/en/ppwr/stammdaten/import) — bulk import instead of manual entry. Recurring [components](/en/ppwr/stammdaten/komponenten) (e.g. the same folding box used in several products) are created once and reused across packaging units.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Stage 2: Clarify Roles & Obligations" icon="scale-balanced">
    Determine your [economic operator role](/en/ppwr/rollen-pflichten/rollen) for each packaging unit — manufacturer, importer, distributor. The role decides which obligations from the [obligations catalog](/en/ppwr/rollen-pflichten/pflichtenkatalog) apply to you and whether **you** must issue the declaration of conformity.

    Complete this stage before data collection: that way you don't collect data for packaging where a different operator carries the obligation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Stage 3: Collect Data — Request from Suppliers Early" icon="folder-open">
    Request missing component data from the responsible suppliers via [data requests](/en/ppwr/datenerfassung/datenanfragen) — ideally all affected suppliers in one go. Your suppliers respond conveniently through the [supplier portal](/en/ppwr/datenerfassung/lieferantenportal); uploaded [evidence documents](/en/ppwr/datenerfassung/nachweise) are analyzed by AI, which proposes values you only need to review.

    Whatever you already have on file (data sheets, test reports), upload directly in parallel.

    <Info>
      The completeness of the component data determines when a packaging unit is **ready for its declaration of conformity** — the Cockpit shows progress per unit.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Stage 4: Create Documentation" icon="file-signature">
    For each packaging unit, create the [technical documentation](/en/ppwr/dokumentation/technische-dokumentation) (Annex VII) and, building on it, the [EU declaration of conformity](/en/ppwr/dokumentation/konformitaetserklaerung) (Annex VIII) — individually or as a bulk action for all ready units.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## In Parallel: EPR Registration & Volume Reporting

Independent of the four stages — and therefore well suited to run in parallel:

* The [EPR registration](/en/ppwr/epr/registrierung) per member state (in Germany: LUCID/ZSVR). Start early: registration happens in the respective authority's portal, and without it you may not place packaging on that market.
* The [volume report](/en/ppwr/epr/mengenmeldung) with validated XML export for LUCID.

## Afterwards: Ongoing Operations

* **New articles and packaging** follow the same path — master data, role, data collection, documentation.
* **If a supplier changes material or recipe**, re-request the affected component data; the declaration of conformity is re-issued on the new basis.
* The **[Cockpit](/en/ppwr/cockpit)** remains your starting point: compliance funnel, progress, and next steps at a glance.

<Card title="Questions about the process?" icon="envelope" href="mailto:help@polygon-one.eu">
  Our team is happy to guide you through the setup personally.
</Card>