Specright Launches Automated PPWR Declaration of Conformity Reporting

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 22, 2026--

Specright™, the leader in AI-powered Specification Data Management™ (SDM) and modern Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), today announced a new Declaration of Conformity (DoC) reporting capability that automates a core requirement of the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

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Companies placing packaged goods on the EU market must produce a signed DoC starting August 12, 2026, covering PPWR Articles 5 through 12 — substance restrictions, recyclability, recycled content, minimization, reusability, and labeling. For most brands, that documentation is scattered across suppliers and spreadsheets, turning routine filings into monthslong searches.

"This launch builds on our EMEA investments this past year — from the PPWR-ready packaging intelligence we introduced at Paris Packaging Week to our expanded London operations," said Danielle Goad, Director of EMEA at Specright. "Our commitment is to help brands turn regulatory complexity into a proactive capability, not a last-minute scramble."

Specright's new capability replaces that scramble with a structured, audit-ready system of record, drawing on its AI-powered Supplier Collaboration solution to pull data directly from suppliers. Every finished good gets a PPWR compliance tab tracking readiness article by article, plus a guided workflow that assembles the Declaration of Conformity and its full technical dossier in minutes, not months.

"PPWR compliance can't be an afterthought once enforcement begins — it has to be built into how companies manage their packaging data from day one," said Karthik Rajagopal, Chief Product Officer at Specright. "This gives brands a direct line from the specification data they already manage to a defensible, audit-ready Declaration of Conformity."

The capability will be available on July 23, 2026, ahead of the regulation's August 12 deadline. Learn more at www.specright.com/ppwr or request a demo.

About Specright

Specright™ is the AI platform for specifications, packaging and products, helping companies digitize, map, and act on supply chain data to reduce costs and drive sustainability. Specright serves industries including packaging, food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical, retail, and industrials. For more information, visit www.specright.com.

Specright's new capability automates PPWR Declaration of Conformity reporting ahead of the EU's August 2026 deadline.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan recorded a trade deficit in June, according to government data released Wednesday, as the higher price of oil imports helped cause the second straight month of red ink.

Japan ’s trade deficit totaled 406.9 billion yen ($2.5 billion) in June, the Ministry of Finance reported, a reversal from the 122 billion yen surplus recorded a year ago.

Japan’s exports rose 19% from a year ago to 10.9 trillion yen, growing at a brisk pace including semiconductor shipments. Japan’s exports grew to various nations, including the U.S. and China. Imports gained 25% to 11.3 trillion yen.

A weak yen also helped drive both exports and imports higher. That’s because their value is usually priced in dollars.

The dollar has been trading at about 163 yen, up from 140-yen levels a year earlier.

Japan imports virtually all its oil. Before the war with Iran, much of it had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Vessel traffic there has been severely disrupted.

Wednesday’s provisional ministry data show that Japan’s oil imports from the U.S. surged nearly five-fold from a year ago.

Brent crude, which had been trading at about $60 a barrel at the beginning of this year, shot up to as high as $114 a barrel before gradually declining. Brent has been trading at $90 levels lately.

From January through June, Japan’s exports added nearly 14% to 60.6 trillion yen, while imports edged up nearly 11% to 61.9 trillion yen. That translates to about a trillion yen deficit.

The Japanese government under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the nation’s first woman leader, has been turning to aggressive programs to jumpstart the economy, with spending in AI, defense and robotics. Recent polls show her popularity with voters, which had been high, is waning.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

FILE - An electronic board shows the exchange rate of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar, top, and Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index, bottom, at a foreign exchange dealing company in Tokyo Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Kenichiro Kojima/Kyodo News via AP, File)

FILE -A container ship is docked at a cargo terminal in Tokyo, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)