Declaration of Conformity

Overview

The Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is the sixth and final step of a packaging item's journey, and the end goal of the whole Packaging section. It is the formal declaration that the packaging conforms with the regulation's requirements, drawn up on the basis of the technical documentation. In kolum, you preview the declaration once the item's evidence chain is in place.

Before you reach this step

The declaration only means something when the steps before it are complete:

• The item is classified, with its attributes set.
• Master data & marking is complete, with artwork evidence filed.
• Supplier information is filed, and Substances shows Conform.
• The Technical documentation has no gaps.

An item with open gaps stays Partial; the declaration step is where the six-step chain pays off.

Step by step

1. Open the Declaration of Conformity step on the item.
2. Preview the declaration. kolum assembles the declaration from the item's data and evidence, following the required content for a DoC (Art. 38/39, Annex VIII): the packaging identification, the responsible operator, and the conformity statement resting on the technical documentation.
3. Review it. Check that the identification matches the pack, the operator details are right, and the evidence behind it is the current state of the item.
4. Complete the step. With the declaration in place, the item's compliance status reaches Complete, which is what setup step 3 on Legal Background counts.

Keeping it valid

• The DoC describes the item as placed on the market. When the pack, material, or marking changes, update the source steps and revisit the declaration.
• Keep the declaration and its technical documentation available per the retention rules (Art. 15(3): 5 years single-use, 10 years reusable).
• Storing created Declarations of Conformity inside kolum is on the kolum roadmap (see the feature outlook on Legal Background).

Tips

• Treat the preview as a final audit of the item: every field it shows traces back to a step, so a wrong value is a pointer to the step to fix.
• Do not complete a declaration around a known gap; the point of the chain is that Complete means demonstrable.

ℹ️ Regulatory context. The Declaration of Conformity is required by Articles 38 and 39 of the regulation, with its content model in Annex VIII, resting on the Annex VII technical documentation, and retained per Article 15(3). From 12 August 2026, market access is only for conform packaging. See Regulation (EU) 2025/40.

Common Questions