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Distributor onboarding

As a distributor, you make batteries available on the EU market after they have been placed there by a manufacturer or importer. Your role focuses on maintaining supply chain traceability and ensuring the batteries you handle continue to comply with their DPP requirements, you do not create DPPs from scratch.

Step 1: Get access to your account​

Traceable is invitation-only. There is no public self-service sign-up. Traceable creates your company and invites you to it.

  1. Open the invitation email from Traceable and click the button.
  2. On the confirmation page, choose Continue to set password.
  3. Enter a new password and confirm it. It must be at least 8 characters and contain an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number and a symbol.
  4. You are sent to the sign-in page. Sign in with your email and password, then enter the 6-digit code Traceable emails you.
  5. You land on your dashboard.
  6. The Company profile page has no operator type setting. The operator role belongs to each brand, and a brand can't be given the Distributor role: it is shown on the Branding page but can't be chosen. See Brands and legal entities.

If you have not received an invitation, ask the person who set up your organisation's Traceable account to invite you.

Step 2: Understand your role in the DPP chain​

Distributors typically do not originate DPPs, that obligation rests with the manufacturer or importer. Your responsibilities are:

  • Ensuring the battery you receive has a valid, accessible DPP
  • Not altering the product or its DPP in ways that invalidate conformity
  • Recording the materials and components of the products you handle
  • Keeping supply chain records for regulatory traceability purposes

Traceable supports this through the Traceability page of each product.

Step 3: Add your suppliers (upstream)​

Your upstream suppliers are the manufacturers or importers from whom you source batteries.

  1. Go to Suppliers > Suppliers in the sidebar.
  2. Click Invite Supplier.
  3. Complete the Onboard New Supplier dialog (legal name, contact email, country, VAT number, registration number, address), then click Send Invitation.

Step 4: Record materials on the Traceability page​

A product's Traceability page lists its materials and components.

  1. In My products, select the product's name to open its page. On the Overview tab, in the Suppliers and traceability card, select Open traceability.
  2. Click Add Material.
  3. Enter the Material/Component Name, Quantity and Unit. Choose either Link to Existing DPP or a Supplier (one is required), then set the Tier (1 or more) and the Origin (ISO Code) (2 letters), and optionally the Is Recycled and Conflict Mineral settings.
  4. Click Add Material.

Step 5: Add products (if you need to register a product)​

In cases where you are the first entity placing a battery on the EU market (for example, receiving batteries from a non-EU source with no existing DPP), you have the same obligations as an importer.

In that case, follow the Importer Onboarding guide from Step 4 onwards.

Step 6: Verify DPPs of batteries you handle​

Before accepting a shipment of batteries, you can verify their DPPs:

  1. Scan the QR code on the battery, this opens the public DPP viewer.
  2. Confirm the DPP is Published and the product identity matches the physical battery.
  3. Check the Declaration of Conformity is attached and current.
  4. Record this check in your own records.

What's next?​

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