What are Attached Components Groups and Sets?

Most Bills of Materials will have Attached Components Groups and Sets.

Product suppliers must ensure any relevant Attached Components Groups and Sets are added to their Bill of Materials before submitting it to the retailer for approval, as any missing Groups and Sets will impact the compliance and recyclability of a product and the resultant on-pack labelling.

(For more information, please see our guide on how to create Attached Components Groups and Sets.)

Attached Components Groups

Definition: a Group contains any components that are physically attached to one another. Examples of groups:

• bottle with a screw cap and label

• corrugated box with labels

• yogurt pot with a lid

These components can be permanently attached to each other, easily separable or removed as part of consumption (e.g., removing a lid to eat a yogurt). What is important is that the components are physically attached.

Sets

Definition: Sets are components within a Group that are permanently attached to each other. These components are not easily detachable by the consumer without using tools (e.g., scissors) or excessive force. These components would not be expected to be separated by the consumer prior to disposal. Example:

• any component with a label with a permanent adhesive
• a bottle with a tethered cap

To remember:

• Sets are always part of an Attached Components Group, although not all Attached Components Groups have Sets.
• There can be multiple sets in one group.

Examples of Groups and Sets:

Example: multipack of yoghurt

Attached Group = Pots and Lids

Attached Set = none

Explanation:

• The pots and lids are attached and easy to separate; therefore, they are part of a group.
• There is no set as no components are permanently attached.

Example: multipack of yoghurt with sleeve

Attached Group = Pots and Lids

Attached Set = none

Explanation:

• This is the same as the previous example; the loose sleeve has not been included in the attached group as it is not physically attached to any component.

Example: medicine bottle with cap, label, and an outer box

Attached Group = Bottle, Screw Cap and Label

Attached Set = Bottle and Label

Explanation:

• The outer carton is not physically attached to any other component; therefore, it would not be in a Group/Set.
• The screw cap can be screwed off; therefore, this is not part of the Set.
• The bottle and label are physically attached and cannot be separated without force; therefore, they form a Set in the attached Group.

Note: see what this example would look like in e-halo in the next section below.

Example: multipack bottles of water with tethered caps in a shrink wrap

Attached Group = Bottle, Tethered Cap and Label

Attached Set = Bottle, Tethered Cap and Label

Explanation:

• The shrink wrap is not physically attached to any components; therefore, it would not be in a Group/Set.
• The bottle, tethered cap and label are all physically attached and cannot be removed without force; therefore, they form a Set in the attached Group.

Example: blister pack and box

Attached Group = Rigid Plastic Blister and the Foil Seal

Attached Set = Rigid Plastic Blister and the Foil Seal

Explanation:

• The box is not physically attached to any components; therefore, it is not in a Group/Set.
• The plastic blister and foil seal are all physically attached and cannot be removed; therefore, they form a Set in the attached Group.

Example: tablet bottle with a tamper seal, label and cap

Attached Group = Rigid Plastic Bottle, Tamper Seal, Label and Cap

Attached Set = Rigid Plastic Bottle and Label

Explanation:  

• The tamper seal and cap are removed prior to consumption; therefore, they are in the group but not the set.

Example: a packet of wipes with closure and tamper seal

Attached Group = Flow Wrap, Closure, and Tamper Seal

Attached Set = Flow Wrap and Closure

Explanation:

• The tamper seal is removed prior to consumption; therefore, it would not be in a set.

Note: if this was a multipack with a sticker holding them together, the sticker would form part of the group but not the set as this will be removed before use.

What this looks like in e-halo:

(See detailed instructions on how to add attached component groups here).

Creating Attached Components Group(s):

Selected components in Group:

Selected components in Set:

What this looks like in the Bill of Materials' summary page > Attached Components tab: