Prove it! How to keep your product information compliant in an era of rising regulation

How do you keep your product information compliant in an era of rising regulation? If government auditors paid your business a surprise visit, could you provide them with evidence to back up all your product claims? What if consumer campaigners carried out spot checks on your product listings? Would they find information consistent and compliant with the latest regulations? You’re not alone if questions like this keep you awake at night.

Compliance professionals globally are dealing with an avalanche of regulation governing product information. Amid concerns about climate change, human rights, health, privacy, and technology. The regulatory landscape is changing fast, and consumers are increasingly unforgiving when organizations fall short.

Product information management (PIM) software is one of the most powerful tools e-commerce businesses can use to streamline compliance tasks to reduce risk and increase profitability. Here we look at some of the regulations affecting e-commerce businesses in 2025. And how a PIM solution could help protect you from fines, product recalls, and reputational damage.

• Rise of the regulators
• PIM power: The cure to your compliance headache
• inriver: at the forefront of product data compliance

Rise of the regulators

First, let’s look at some of the existing or proposed regulations on the radar of product data compliance professionals in 2025.

EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)

This regulation, which entered into force in 2023, aims to guarantee that products consumed by European Union citizens do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation anywhere in the world. It affects any operator or trader who places forest-derived commodities or products on the EU market. This can include soy, coffee, furniture, or leather). These entities must be able to prove that the products do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation. To remain product compliant, businesses must ensure that they maintain traceable records and verification documentation.

Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT)

Your business may be subject to this tax if it imports into the UK, or manufactures in the UK, plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled content. Introduced by the UK government to encourage recycling, the levy came into force in April 2022.

But the rate was increased to £217.85 (approx. $272) per metric tonne with effect from April 2024. Even if your packaging is exempt, you will need to provide sufficient supporting evidence, including data on the recycled content of the plastic packaging components and details of any due diligence checks you’ve done to stay product information compliant.

EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), incorporating digital product passports

The aim of the ESPR is to make sustainability the norm for products sold in the EU by improving their circularity, energy performance, recyclability, and durability. Replacing a 2009 directive that applied only to energy-related products, it came into force in July 2024 and covers virtually all physical products.

A key measure is the digital product passport (DPP), a digital identity card storing detailed information about the make-up and impact of every product, component, and material.

It means anyone would be able to scan a product. For example, using a QR code on a tag – and discover its technical performance, materials and their origins, repair and recycling capabilities, and lifecycle environmental impacts. DPPs are due to be phased in, becoming a legal requirement for batteries in 2027.

EU Green Claims Directive (GCD)

This proposed new law aims to protect consumers from greenwashing by ensuring environmental labels and claims are trustworthy, comparable, and verifiable across the European Union.

It would establish clear criteria on how companies should prove their environmental claims and labels, require these to be checked by an accredited verifier, and impose rules on governance of environmental labeling schemes.

PIM power: The cure to your compliance headache

With pressure mounting, businesses can’t afford to waste precious hours. Wasting time to collating information from scattered sources, duplicating efforts, and manually correcting errors that pose regulatory risk.

This is where PIM software can really come into its own, simplifying the compliance process in multiple ways. For example:

Centralized data management

A PIM solution provides a single source of truth. With PIM, all your product data can be readily accessed by everyone in the organization. With information housed centrally and automatically distributed to all sales channels whenever there’s an update, you can be sure your data is consistent, up-to-date and regulator-ready. Ensuring that your system is product information compliant further strengthens your ability to maintain data accuracy and meet industry standards.

Global market readiness

Expanding into new geographic regions brings great opportunity but also significant risk if your product data is disorganized. To be successful in different jurisdictions, you need tight control over your data and mechanisms in place to flag up potential compliance violations. PIM software can smooth your entry into new markets and help you spot issues with materials or components that might not meet local requirements.

Streamlined workflows

Managing data on a secure central platform means colleagues across all teams can make compliant decisions without waiting for information from the legal department. Such as which products lack regulatory approval in certain markets. Some PIM platforms also allow you to create workflows for complex processes that require collaboration across different departments. This means everyone involved follows the correct procedure every time.

Audit trails

With a comprehensive record of all product-related data and activities housed on your PIM platform, you can fulfil regulatory data requests confidently and effortlessly. No more panicked pooling of figures from disparate spreadsheets for the annual environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report or to satisfy supply chain due diligence by your customers. Instead the process is quick and painless, freeing up time and resources.

Product lifecycle management

Brands and manufacturers are seeing demands grow for transparency about every stage of a product’s lifecycle. With a closed-loop PIM solution, you can form a complete picture of the product journey. From the materials, parts, and processes that went into making the products, to the preferences of consumers who buy them and how they can be repaired or recycled at the end of life. A PIM solution with a fully extensible data model will give you the flexibility to adjust to ever greater and more complex requirements over time without having to start from scratch. Become product information compliant with PIM!

inriver: at the forefront of product data compliance

inriver’s composable multitenant PIM solution was singled out for its regulation readiness in Gartner’s 2025 Market Guide for PIM solutions. With analysts commenting: “inriver is at the forefront of sustainability initiatives and the upcoming DPP regulation, capturing essential information for ESG reporting.”

Our fully closed-loop platform supports needs for product information compliant at every stage of the product lifecycle. From material sourcing and manufacturing to the digital shelf and end-of-life processes.

We have built in a Workflows feature that simplifies collaboration on compliance tasks, and our fully extensible data model. This means you’re always ready if the regulators suddenly ramp up their data requirements.

The result is unmatched data governance across the entire product journey, reducing your compliance risks and freeing up your teams to focus on driving profitability.

Stay ahead of rising regulations with inriver’s powerful PIM solution. Simplify compliance, protect your business from risks, and focus on growth. Book your personalized demo today to learn more.