Which supplier evidence qualifies

Evidence is a document that says something about a material in relation to the requirements of the Regulation. Everything else — an invoice, a quotation, a catalogue, a sales rep's assurance over the phone — is commercial information, and the app labels it as such.

Four kinds of document that qualify#

1. Statement of conformity#

The most common and the quickest to obtain. The supplier states that the material meets the limit on the sum of the four heavy metals in Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2025/40. It qualifies when it carries a number, a date, an unambiguous identification of the material and a signature from someone on the supplier's side.

2. Test report#

A laboratory result, preferably from an accredited laboratory, with concrete values for lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium. The strongest evidence, because it gives figures rather than an assurance. Check that it covers the same batch or the same formulation you are buying.

3. Technical data sheet identifying the material#

Useful above all for identifying the material and its grammage. As evidence of conformity it is enough only when it refers to the limits — a trade name and mechanical parameters on their own are not.

4. Material declaration from the manufacturer#

A document issued by the raw material producer and passed down the chain, often covering a whole product family. It is sometimes the most complete of the four, because it was written once for every customer.

When evidence is confirmed and when it is partial#

The app assesses every uploaded document and assigns it one of three states:

• Evidence confirmed — the document covers all four elements from Article 5, identifies the material unambiguously and carries a date.
• Evidence partial — something is missing. Most often one element (usually mercury), the date, or the identification of a specific material.
• Evidence missing — nothing was uploaded, or what was uploaded does not speak to the requirements.

An empty field is never read as a zero. If the supplier did not state mercury, the records say “not stated” — and that alone is enough for the declaration to come out conditional rather than full.

What to do with a document that does not qualify#

Upload it anyway. The app files it against the material and marks it insufficient, naming the specific gap — and that wording is exactly what you paste into your request for the missing piece. Instructions: how to ask a supplier for evidence.

More on what the Regulation requires in the blog post on supplier documents.