A useful PPWR packaging RFQ tells suppliers what to price, what information to provide and when that information must be confirmed. For brands sourcing custom paper packaging from China, these details belong together: a quotation for a rigid box with a foam insert covers a different product from one with a folded paper insert, even when both are described as recyclable gift packaging.

A request for quotation, or RFQ, should make those differences visible before you commit to production. Here, PPWR-ready means that the enquiry supports assessment of the proposed packaging against the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation requirements applicable to its intended use and market date. The phrase itself is not a regulatory approval.

Give every supplier the same packaging to price

A reference photograph can communicate proportion, colour and opening style, while leaving the board, surface treatment and insert construction undecided. Begin with the result that matters: the product must stay secure, the presentation must suit the brand, and the packaging must work through the intended delivery route. Mark which features are essential and which can change.

If you have a product and a reference image rather than a finished specification, we can help develop a proposed structure, materials and sampling route through our EU packaging solutions. Once a baseline is agreed, give each bidder the same drawing and specification revision. Ask for improvements as separately priced alternatives so that useful design suggestions remain easy to compare.

Attach requirements to the intended market date

State both the required delivery date and the planned first placement on the EU market. Under PPWR, placing on the market means the first making available on the EU market, whether the packaging is empty or contains a product; that event can precede a consumer launch. The regulation has generally applied since 12 August 2026, as confirmed by the European Commission, but individual requirements have their own timetables.

Article 24 of the regulation counts filling materials as empty space. It also exempts sales packaging used as e-commerce packaging, and reusable packaging used within a system of re-use, from the 50% obligation; Article 10 minimisation requirements remain relevant. A jewellery presentation box and its parcel shipper therefore need distinct descriptions in the RFQ. A blanket empty-space percentage for every packaging layer would obscure the actual requirement.

A packaging RFQ template you can adapt

Replace the bracketed fields below and attach the available drawings, artwork and product information. Where a technical choice is undecided, write supplier to propose. That gives the supplier a useful development task without disguising an assumption as an approved specification.

Subject: RFQ — [packaging name/code], revision [number], for [EU markets]

Please quote the specified baseline and list deviations or exclusions against the relevant item. Price alternatives separately. Mark preliminary dimensions, weights and other estimates, state their assumptions, and give the stage or date at which they will be confirmed.

1. Product, use and destination

• Product: [description, dimensions in length × width × height in mm, dimensional variation, weight in g, drawings and physical sample availability].
• Packaging function: [sales box, grouped packaging, transport carton or e-commerce packaging]. Intended presentation and opening experience: [details]. Food-contact status and intended contact, if relevant: [details].
• Protection and packing: [fragile areas, scratch-sensitive surfaces, movement limits, relevant storage conditions and distribution route]. Packing location and method: [manual or equipment-based, with any known constraints].
• Markets and route: [EU destination countries; supplied from China as empty packaging or with products; filling and fulfilment locations]. Relevant legal entities and contacts: [brand, PPWR manufacturer and EU importer where applicable].
• Dates: required warehouse receipt [date]; planned first EU market placement [date]; expected reorder period [details].

2. Baseline construction and component information

• Baseline: [structure, drawing revision, internal and external dimensions, board, wrapping paper, insert, closure, printing and finishes]. Required features: [details]. Preferences open to alternatives: [details].
• Component schedule: identify each packaging component, its material and grade or material reference, thickness or grammage where relevant, and weight per unit in g. State whether weights are estimated or measured. Identify applied films, coatings, inks and adhesives, and explain how different components are attached or separated.
• Alternatives: quote [requested options] separately. Show changes to dimensions, materials, protection, assembly, appearance, price, lead time and supporting evidence. Please retain the baseline quotation even when recommending an alternative.

This schedule turns a description such as paper gift box into something assessable. A film, coating or firmly bonded insert can affect the recycling behaviour of the finished packaging. Useful material references and an explanation of the construction give the assessment a firmer basis than a broad finish description such as water-based or eco-friendly.

3. Quantities, artwork and identification

• Quantity breaks: [quantities]. Split by product size, artwork and language version: [quantity for each]. State minimum quantities and charges for each version.
• Artwork: [file names and revisions, colour references, print and foil areas, required languages and supplied text]. Identify any production adjustments needing approval.
• Identification and claims: show proposed locations for packaging identification, relevant operator details and destination-specific information. List environmental claims or disposal instructions requiring supporting information and final text approval.

4. Price, delivery and lead-time assumptions

• Unit price: quote in [currency] at each quantity break. State whether inserts, accessories, assembly and export packing are included.
• Separate charges: itemise tooling, printing setup, development, samples, testing, inspection and freight. Explain the work included in any documentation charge and identify possible additional costs.
• Delivery basis: state the Incoterm and edition, named place, transport assumptions, quotation validity, and included or excluded freight, duties, taxes and other charges.
• Shipping configuration: state whether boxes arrive assembled or flat, units per master carton, carton dimensions and gross weight. Flag estimates awaiting sample confirmation.
• Schedule: provide sampling, testing and production lead times, their starting conditions, approval deadlines, planned dispatch and estimated arrival. Identify anything that could change these dates.

5. Supporting evidence and outstanding work

• Assessment basis: identify the requirements and technical methods addressed by the proposed evidence. Distinguish requirements applicable to the planned market date from later design targets.
• Material and substance information: identify available declarations and supporting records for the proposed materials, including relevant heavy-metal evidence. For food-contact packaging, identify applicable food-contact and PFAS evidence. Explain the coverage of any recyclability or recycled-content claim.
• Evidence index: list document or report reference, issuer, date, material or sample covered, method and scope. Explain which records relate directly to the proposed specification and which need further assessment or additional work.
• Completion plan: for each missing item, state the responsible party, proposed work, cost and delivery date. Identify the information you will supply for the manufacturer’s technical documentation and conformity assessment.
• Reporting data: provide packaging weights by material and explain how final values will be confirmed for destination-country packaging reporting.

6. Samples, approval and production changes

• Samples: propose the structural, printed and final approval samples needed, with quantities, costs and dates. State which materials and processes each sample represents.
• Performance checks: propose checks using the packed product and intended handling or delivery conditions. Agree the method and acceptance criteria before testing.
• Approved version: link the approved sample to the drawing, component schedule, artwork and relevant evidence revisions. Confirm measured sample weights and any expected production variation.
• Changes and traceability: require written review before substitutions or changes affecting the approved specification. Explain how batches will be identified, how changes will be recorded, and when revised samples, evidence or conformity reassessment would be needed.

Agree who completes the evidence, and when

The company physically making the box and the PPWR manufacturer can be different entities. Under Article 3, a brand commissioning packaging under its own name or trademark will generally hold the manufacturer role. Confirm the position for the actual entities and packaging types. Article 15 assigns conformity assessment, technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity to the manufacturer; Article 16 requires suppliers to provide the necessary supporting information. An EU importer has its own verification duties under Article 18.

The RFQ should make that information flow practical. Name the people who will supply material records, review evidence, approve artwork and complete the conformity documentation. Assign destination-country extended producer responsibility, or EPR, registration and reporting separately. Then use purchasing milestones to distinguish a reasonable quotation estimate from information needed for production and market placement.

Read a test report through its sample description. A report on untreated board may contribute useful evidence, while leaving the printed wrap, coating and insert to be addressed through other records or assessment. Ask the supplier to explain that coverage. An appropriate evidence plan can combine existing material information, relevant reports and targeted testing; its scope should follow the actual construction and intended use.

This connection must survive production changes. If a coating or adhesive is replaced after sample approval, the appearance may remain close while the supporting material information changes. Article 15 requires manufacturers to consider changes affecting conformity and reassess where necessary. Put the notification and approval process into the order so that the revised specification, evidence and production instructions stay together.

A jewellery-box example: price the consequences of a change

Consider a 5,000-unit pendant-box enquiry, split between two artworks at 3,000 and 2,000 units. The baseline is a lid-and-base rigid box with a film-laminated paper wrap and a fabric-faced foam insert. The brand wants to explore a folded paper insert and an unlaminated textured wrap. Ask suppliers to price each change independently, then quote the combined version if both appear suitable.

The paper insert needs to hold the pendant in position, manage the chain and provide a suitable contact surface. A retaining fold or extra protective layer may change its tooling, assembly time and component list. If the new insert requires a deeper box, the shipping configuration also changes. The unlaminated wrap needs a printed sample because paper texture affects colour and the finished surface needs appropriate handling resistance.

A useful response therefore shows more than a revised unit price: it identifies the new materials, sample and tooling charges, protection checks and evidence still needed. We can help coordinate those comparisons around the actual product. Once a version is selected, its insert, wrap, artwork and material records become the approval baseline. That makes the design choice understandable commercially and keeps the evidence tied to the packaging you intend to buy.

Resolve consequential gaps before awarding production

• Compare the same specification. Check drawing revision, materials, dimensions, inserts and artwork quantities. Keep a changed construction in the alternatives column.
• Compare the full quoted cost. Put unit prices, setup, tooling, samples, development, testing and delivery on a common basis. A lower box price can leave significant work unpriced.
• Compare the evidence route. Look for relevant records and a credible completion plan. Every consequential gap needs an owner, cost where applicable, and date.
• Compare achievable schedules. Include sample revisions, tests and approvals before the production period. Check whether delivery estimates depend on information your team has yet to provide.

Before releasing production, resolve gaps that could change the material, construction or conformity conclusion. Where development is still needed, a defined sampling or testing stage can be awarded first. Carry the agreed specification, approved sample references, evidence deliverables and change procedure into the purchase order or supply agreement. The final declaration can follow completion of the assessment, but its responsible entity and deadline should already be clear.

For the wider sourcing process, see our buyer’s checklist for sourcing PPWR-ready custom paper packaging.

If your specification is still taking shape, send us your product details, packaging references, EU markets and required dates. We can help turn them into a defined packaging proposal, meaningful alternatives and a schedule for samples and supporting information—so the quotation gives you a clear basis for the next decision.