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Approve or reject

The Decision​

Every verification task results in one of two decisions: Approved or Rejected.

There is no partial approval, conditional approval, or "approved with reservations" outcome. If the submitted evidence adequately substantiates the claim, you approve. If the evidence is insufficient, missing, expired, or inconsistent with the declared values, you reject. A rejection does not end the DPP process, the operator addresses your stated concerns and can resubmit.

When to Approve​

Issue an Approved decision when all of the following conditions are met:

  1. The claimed value is substantiated. The submitted document explicitly supports the declared DPP field value. The document value matches the DPP value in number, unit, and applicable conditions.

  2. The document is from a credible issuer and within its validity period. The issuing body is appropriate for the document type (accredited laboratory, recognised certification body, qualified LCA practitioner). The document has not expired.

  3. The document's scope covers the claimed product. The evidence specifically covers the product, model, material, or process declared in the DPP, not a different product or a broader general policy statement.

  4. No material inconsistencies exist. You have not identified any contradictions, unexplained discrepancies, or gaps in the evidence.

If all four conditions are met, approve. Do not withhold approval because documents are not perfect, they rarely are. The standard is whether the evidence reasonably and professionally substantiates the claim as required for EU Battery Regulation compliance.

When to Reject​

Issue a Rejected decision when any of the following applies:

  • The supporting document is missing. A claim type that requires specific supporting documentation has no document attached, or the document provided is not the appropriate document type.

  • The claimed value does not match the document. The DPP states a value that differs from what the evidence document shows. Even a small numerical discrepancy that could indicate a unit conversion error or a transcription mistake is grounds for rejection, the operator needs to resolve the inconsistency before the DPP is published.

  • The document is expired. A certificate or test report has passed its validity end date. An expired document does not substantiate a current compliance claim.

  • The document's scope does not cover the claimed product. For example, the safety test report covers a different cell model than the one being declared, or an ISO certificate covers a manufacturing site that does not produce the material in question.

  • Document integrity is in question. As described in Review a Task, documents that appear altered or internally inconsistent must not be approved.

Writing Effective Rejection Comments​

Your rejection comment is the most operationally important output of a rejection decision. It tells the operator exactly what needs to be fixed. A vague comment leads to unnecessary back-and-forth; a specific comment enables the operator to resolve the issue efficiently and resubmit.

The anatomy of an effective rejection comment:

  1. Reference the specific document or DPP field
  2. State the discrepancy or gap precisely
  3. State what is needed to resolve it

Examples of effective rejection comments:

"The test report (issued by SGS) states a cycle life of 1,200 cycles at 25°C and 80% capacity retention. The DPP field 'Cycle Life' declares 1,500 cycles. These values do not match. Please either provide a test report substantiating 1,500 cycles, or update the DPP field to reflect 1,200 cycles."

"No LCA study has been provided in support of the carbon footprint declaration of 38.5 kg CO₂e/kWh. An LCA study prepared in accordance with a recognised standard is required. Please provide the underlying study."

"The REACH compliance certificate attached expired on 31 December 2023. A current, valid REACH compliance certificate is required. Please upload a certificate valid as of the DPP submission date."

"The ISO 14001 certificate covers the operator's Frankfurt facility only. The DPP declares that the cathode active material is sourced from a Seoul facility. Please provide evidence of environmental management certification for the Seoul facility, or clarify the sourcing claim."

Examples of comments that are too vague to be actionable:

  • "Cycle life doesn't match." (Which document? What values?)
  • "Certificate is invalid." (Which certificate? What is wrong with it?)
  • "More documentation needed." (For which claim? What specific documentation?)

Submitting Your Decision​

When you are ready to submit:

  1. On the task page, use the Decision card in the right-hand column: Approve Document or Reject. On the queue you can also use the Approve and Reject buttons on a Pending row.
  2. A decision dialog opens:
    • The approval dialog is titled "Approve Document" with the field Notes (optional) and the button Confirm Approval. Noting the key documents you relied on is recommended.
    • The rejection dialog is titled "Reject Submission" with the field Rejection Reason (required) and the button Confirm Rejection, which stays disabled until a reason is typed.
    • Each text can be up to 2,000 characters.
  3. Your decision is recorded immediately. A message "Document Approved" or "Document Rejected" confirms the result, and you are returned to the Verification Queue.

A decision is refused with a message in two cases: when the product belongs to your own company ("Conflict of interest: you cannot verify products belonging to your own company.") and when the product is Withdrawn, Revoked or Deprecated (a message that names the status and says its documents cannot be approved or rejected). A task that has already been decided cannot be decided again.

This action cannot be undone. Once confirmed, your decision is written to the product's audit trail and the operator is notified.

Effect of Your Decision on the DPP​

On Approval​

  • The decision is recorded in the product's audit trail with your account, the task, the document and your comment. The document is marked Verified.
  • If this was the last unverified document of a submitted product and the publish checks pass, your approval also moves the product to Approved, which creates its published version and QR code. Otherwise the product stays as it is and the operator is told which documents remain.
  • The operator receives an email "Verification Approved" and an in-app notification "Document Verified".

On Rejection​

  • The decision is recorded in the product's audit trail with your reason
  • The document becomes Rejected with your reason, and the product's compliance status becomes IssuesFound
  • The operator receives an email notification with your rejection reason and an in-app notification "Document Rejected"
  • The operator can address your stated concerns and submit a new task for re-verification

Your decision stays in the audit trail regardless of what the operator does subsequently.

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