A reliable traceability system connects physical material with documentation. Batch numbers, suppliers, certificates, storage, recipes, production and sales should form one consistent chain of data.
What needs to be traced?
Traceability is not about storing a large number of documents. Its purpose is to connect a specific material reliably with its origin and subsequent use.
1. Supplier and material source
At receipt, the supplier, site, certification status, material type, PCR/PreCR classification and purchase document should be known. If the supplier's certificate is used to qualify the material, its scope and validity should be documented.
2. Receipt and storage
Batch numbers, labels, big bags, silos, warehouse locations or the ERP system should allow materials to be distinguished and connected with their records.
3. Production and recipe
The process must identify which material was used for a particular production batch and in what proportion. In controlled blending, the recycled material share should be known and documented.
4. Product and sales
The finished product should be traceable to the relevant production batch, recipe and material data. If a customer receives a recycled content claim, its value must come from actual records.
5. Volume reconciliation
Individual batch traceability should be consistent with aggregate data. Purchases, inventories, production, losses and sales must form a coherent picture of the material flow.
Common weak points
- using the same code for materials of different origins;
- failing to keep supplier certificate checks up to date;
- transferring material into a silo without retaining batch information;
- changing recipes without version control;
- failing to link production with sales;
- an inconsistent volume reconciliation.
Key takeaway
Traceability works when information follows the material. The system should allow tracing from supplier to product and from product back to the material source.