With extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations gaining traction, food and beverage companies are under pressure to adapt. Centric Software can help. Here’s how…
Globally, new packaging standards are being introduced to reduce problematic materials, including certain plastics, chemicals, microplastics, and overall waste. Specifically in the food and beverage industry, extended producer responsibility (EPR) is shifting the way businesses manage packaging waste. While the aim is to reduce environmental impact, the requirements can add complexity to production processes, increase operational costs, and create challenges for regulatory compliance.
EPR laws shift the responsibility for packaging waste from governments and consumers to producers. This means companies must finance and oversee the end-of-life disposal of their packaging, adding another layer of responsibility to their operations.
For food and beverage producers, EPR presents both an obligation and an opportunity. It drives innovation in sustainable packaging and encourages companies to adopt practices that protect their brand reputation while improving waste management outcomes in the long term. For consumers, it offers greater transparency and access to eco-friendly products, alongside improved recycling processes.
While innovations to minimise environmental impact are crucial for the long run, the industry faces specific challenges when making the shift. With the trend towards more stringent sustainability measures, food and beverage businesses must adopt new processes and modern tools to meet these regulations.
The risk of greenwashing
The challenge for producers lies in ensuring accurate data collection and reporting to meet regulatory obligations. According to Phillip Wills, Sales – ANZ, Centric Software, requirements can vary between jurisdictions, making it harder for companies with operations in multiple regions.
“Without a centralised solution to calculate fees, manage documentation and track compliance, staying ahead of these regulatory requirements becomes difficult and time consuming,” said Wills.
Businesses not only risk falling behind due to reliance on spreadsheets, disconnected processes, and incomplete documentation, they also run the risk of greenwashing, which is a key concern in sustainability reporting.
A solution to tackle greenwashing is to have accurate, verifiable data through a system that tracks materials, suppliers, and certifications. This ensures that sustainability claims can be backed up with evidence and can protect companies from reputational damage while building consumer trust.
Effective systems can validate certifications such as halal, kosher, and health start rating, while enabling real-time collaboration with suppliers. By keeping all data up to date and accessible, companies can avoid errors, reduce bottlenecks, and confidently meet both product and material regulations.
Product Lifecycle Management
Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform is designed to give food and beverage manufacturers end-to-end visibility over their product and packaging data. Wills described ways Centric PLM assists food and beverage companies navigating through EPR regulations.
First, Centric PLM allows the integration of packaging information directly into product records. Businesses can maintain change histories, composition details, and validity periods. Linking this data to sales information through Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems enables quick and accurate reporting for specific states or countries. Instead of chasing records from various teams, a streamlined approach can generate detailed reports in minutes, reducing administrative effort and the risk of missing deadlines.
Second, Centric PLM also provides a complete view of packaging costs, which includes initial sourcing expenses and end-of-life disposal costs. Through this, companies can make informed decisions that benefit financial and environmental goals. Whether optimising packaging composition or rethinking material use, having cost transparency helps companies improve margins and maintain compliance simultaneously.
Third, claims and nutrition panels are guaranteed to be accurate and up to date because the information printed on packaging is directly linked to ingredients, recipes, and claims specifications in Centric PLM. This matters because even a small change – such as switching an ingredient supplier – can invalidate a claim.
Simplifying sustainability reporting
Meeting EPR requirements often overlaps with other sustainability goals, such as reducing material usage or increasing recycled content. Centric PLM includes platform integrations with PUF6, USDA, SR Legacy and CIQUAL databases that simplify quality and compliance audits.
By collecting specification and composition details for environmental impact analysis, goals such as packaging weight reduction, increased recycled components, raw material substitution and certifications can be tracked over time. Having all of this in one place allows companies to quickly respond to audits or consumer inquiries. It also means Centric PLM allows teams to focus on strategic work instead of administrative tasks.
Collaborating across all departments
EPR compliance does not fall to a single department. Rather, it requires coordinated efforts across research and development, procurement, compliance, legal, packaging, and supplier teams.
“A core advantage of Centric PLM is its ability to dismantle departmental silos as it streamlines workflows and fosters seamless collaboration,” said Wills
Workflows can be made easier and efficient with tools like integrated Adobe Illustrator, 3D Connect, and a built-in Artwork Proofing and approval tool. Vendor portals facilitate audits, track supplier performance, and manage risks. The system features the FoodChain ID Compliance Analysis Connector, which connects to global regulatory databases for quick compliance checks essential for fluctuating markets.
Centric PLM tracks approvals, timestamps and user identifications to maintain records and prevent unauthorised changes. Before implementing updates, teams can assess the impact on cost, regulations, ingredient listings, and country-specific requirements in advance.
One of the challenges for companies adopting new technology is fitting it into existing processes without downtime or costly redevelopment. Centric PLM is designed to be configurable without requiring hard coding, making it adaptable to the specific needs of each business.
“This feature is ready to go, out-of-the-box,” said Wills
This flexibility is useful for companies managing multiple brands or operating in several markets with differing compliance requirements. For fast-moving consumer goods, including food and beverage products, agility is key.
“A one-size-fits-all PLM system is not effective,” said Wills “Meeting the specific requirements of the food and beverage space requires agility, short commercialisation times.”
Working with Aviko
The introduction of EPR regulations is part of a larger movement towards sustainability in the food and beverage sector. Companies that adopt technology to handle the additional complexity are better positioned to innovate and grow while meeting their compliance obligations.
One such company, Aviko, a European producer of potato products, was looking to expand market share globally. With goals to extend its product portfolio, Aviko required a solution to fill the gaps in its current legacy PLM.
After a selection process, Aviko partnered with Centric Software. Using Centric PLM, the business found itself streamlining all product related data and teams across departments and production plants can access, update and share information easily. Centric PLM is now used by several teams at Aviko including quality, regulatory, packaging, commercial operations, innovation and procurement.
As the system holds relevant labelling information for specific regions to ensure quick generation of compliant labelling briefs, the company is able to streamline end-to-end packaging development and launch new product variations quicker while meeting regulatory demands.
Navigating through the market
As more regions implement EPR regulations, challenges for food and beverage companies will continue to increase. The ability to produce accurate, on-demand reports will be critical to success and those that fail to adapt may face financial penalties, reputational damage, and loss of market share to more agile competitors.
Centric Software’s approach of improving efficiency and collaboration reduces the strain on resources. It enables businesses to focus on delivering high-quality, sustainable products to market faster. By combining visibility, data accuracy, and cross-department collaboration, systems like Centric PLM offer a way to turn compliance from a burden to a proactive driver of innovation.