| Food-Contact and Product Safety Compliance |
Materials should comply with the destination market’s applicable food-contact, chemical, and packaging regulations. |
Current declarations of compliance, migration-test reports, material specifications, and traceability records. |
Non-compliant packaging can cause customs delays, product recalls, or restrictions on market access. |
Critical |
| Quality Management System |
A documented quality system with controlled procedures, corrective actions, and batch-level records. |
Valid quality certificates where applicable, inspection procedures, non-conformance reports, and audit access. |
Consistent quality reduces leakage, printing defects, dimensional variation, and shipment rejections. |
Critical |
| Material and Barrier Performance |
The wrapper should meet the required oxygen, moisture, light, grease, heat-sealing, and mechanical-performance targets. |
Technical data sheets, test methods, sample results, and performance data for the intended product and storage conditions. |
Barrier performance directly affects shelf life, product protection, and packaging-line efficiency. |
Critical |
| Customization and Printing Capability |
Supplier should support the required dimensions, seal format, artwork, colors, finishes, and packaging-line compatibility. |
Pre-production artwork approval, color-control process, digital proof, cylinder or plate information where relevant, and retained samples. |
Accurate customization protects brand presentation and prevents costly rework or obsolete inventory. |
High |
| Minimum Order Quantity |
The minimum order should match forecast demand, storage capacity, and acceptable inventory risk. |
Clear minimum quantities by size, material structure, printing method, and artwork version. |
Lower or flexible minimums can reduce working capital requirements for new products and regional launches. |
High |
| Lead Time and Supply Reliability |
Supplier should state separate timelines for sampling, artwork approval, production, inspection, and dispatch. |
Production schedule, capacity-planning process, order-status updates, and a documented contingency plan. |
Predictable delivery helps buyers coordinate filling, warehousing, promotions, and international freight. |
Critical |
| Testing and Inspection Controls |
Inspection should cover dimensions, seal strength, appearance, print accuracy, roll or bag condition, and packaging quantity. |
Quality-control plan, sampling method, inspection records, retained samples, and independent inspection acceptance. |
Objective inspection reduces the risk of discovering defects after goods arrive at the buyer’s facility. |
Critical |
| Sustainability and Recyclability |
Claims should be supported by material composition, recycled-content evidence, recyclability guidance, or lifecycle-related documentation. |
Material breakdown, sustainability declarations, relevant certificates, and disposal or recycling instructions for the target market. |
Verified environmental information supports regulatory compliance and prevents unsupported green claims. |
High |
| Export and Documentation Capability |
Supplier should be able to prepare accurate commercial, packing, shipping, and product-compliance documents. |
Export references, packing specifications, carton marks, customs data, certificates of origin where required, and agreed Incoterms. |
Correct documentation lowers the likelihood of customs holds, incorrect duties, and delivery disputes. |
High |
| Total Landed Cost |
Compare product price together with tooling, sampling, freight, duties, inspection, waste, storage, and payment costs. |
Itemized quotation, tooling charges, packaging details, freight assumptions, payment terms, and price-validity period. |
The lowest unit price may not provide the lowest total cost after logistics, defects, and inventory are included. |
Critical |
| Communication and Technical Support |
Supplier should respond clearly, provide technical guidance, and maintain one controlled specification throughout the project. |
Named contact, response-time expectations, approval workflow, change-control procedure, and after-sales support process. |
Fast and accurate communication reduces specification errors and accelerates problem resolution. |
High |