Product Compliance Check-ups
EU product requirements are becoming more product-specific
European sustainability rules increasingly require companies to demonstrate product-level responsibilities, documentation, evidence and internal controls.
EPR obligations already apply to many products placed on the German market. From 12 August 2026, the PPWR will add further EU-wide requirements for packaging, product data, reporting and producer responsibility.
From 27 September 2026, stricter rules will apply to environmental claims, sustainability labels, future targets, durability and reparability information. Companies need to know which claims they use, where they appear and what evidence supports them.
The ESPR framework has applied since 18 July 2024, with product-specific requirements being introduced progressively. These may include durability, reparability, recycled content, substances of concern, technical documentation and Digital Product Passport data.
A check-up is particularly useful where the company needs to move from general regulatory awareness toward product-level implementation. It helps identify whether:
- Regulatory assessments have been completed or remain informal
- Responsibilities are clearly assigned
- Product and supplier data are sufficiently structured
- Supporting evidence can be linked to the exact product
- Registration, reporting or financial obligations have been operationalised
- Legal requirements have been translated into internal review points
- Product changes trigger a new assessment
- Missing information leads to escalation, a launch hold or another defined decision
- Sustainability claims are specific, appropriately scoped and supported
- Documents can be retrieved quickly when needed
Choose the appropriate Product Compliance Check-up
For one selected product placed on, or intended to be placed on, the German market.
The combined check-up reviews the company’s current EPR and ESPR readiness across the following areas:
- Product and German-market context
- Responsible legal entity and economic-operator role
- EPR and ESPR relevance assessments
- Internal responsibility and management oversight
- Material, supplier and product data
- Product-level supporting evidence
- EPR registration, reporting and payment processes
- ESPR-related product data and documentation
- Product release, change-management and reassessment processes
- The main current readiness gap
The check-up is suitable for companies that may only have part of the required information, processes or documentation in place.
For one selected product or one clearly defined product range communicated to consumers in Germany.
The check-up reviews how environmental, social and sustainability-related information is currently used across consumer-facing channels, including:
- The exact product or product range in scope
- Product pages, webshops and brand websites
- Marketplace and retailer listings
- Packaging, labels, hangtags and point-of-sale materials
- Advertising, social media, newsletters and campaigns
- Sustainability claims and environmental statements
- Seals, labels, badges, icons, ratings and platform signals
- Certificates, specifications, supplier declarations, calculations and test reports
- The connection between each claim or symbol and its supporting evidence
- Missing, unclear or potentially high-risk communication points
The company is not expected to decide whether its own claims are legally compliant. It provides the communication currently used and the documentation behind it; White Lobster structures and reviews the submitted case.
Product compliance becomes manageable when the review begins with a clearly defined case. Select one product or product range, bring together the information currently available and receive a structured picture of your present readiness.