In this edition of the Spotlight, Recyda explains why companies need to adopt a digital approach to packaging recyclability assessment and how its platform enables them to do this.
Not long ago, packaging recyclability assessments were a voluntary, often low-priority exercise. Today, they are at the heart of corporate strategy, driven by a global wave of regulation.
This month marks a pivotal moment in this transition, as Recyda announces the APR Design® Assessment Tool in collaboration with the Association of Plastic Recyclers. This integration of the US guidelines doesn’t just add a new standard; it signals a transatlantic consensus: managing recyclability must be digital, data-driven, and immediate.
The forces driving a global reset
The pressure on companies is no longer confined to one market. A powerful combination of regulatory and commercial forces is compelling businesses to act:
Mandatory reporting: new regulations, such as the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation), now mandate that companies accurately report their packaging’s recyclability. Failure to comply or inaccurate reporting carries the risk of significant fines.
Market bans: a growing number of countries are introducing regulations that ban low-recyclability or “difficult-to-recycle” materials from the market. Companies that fail to reformulate their packaging in time face the costly risk of having their products pulled from shelves.
Evolving EPR landscape: Extended Producer Responsibility costs are no longer simply associated with tonnage placed on the market. Countries across Europe and regions in the US are directly tying these costs to the recyclability, making it mandatory for companies to accurately classify packaging units.
The combined impact of these regulatory changes is immense, placing enormous pressure on companies to assess the recyclability of their entire packaging portfolio at scale.
Traditional, manual assessment methods are inherently slow and cannot keep pace, especially for businesses managing thousands of SKUs.
The effort required - from deciphering complex guidelines, organising extensive data, and even identifying the right information to collect for a large portfolio - is a major drain on both time and resources.
Hence, this evolving landscape makes the adoption of digital methods for recyclability assessment not just an option, but a necessity.
Recyda: the digital platform for recyclability assessments
Recyda provides the dedicated platform to navigate this new reality. And now, with the announcement of the APR Design® Assessment Tool powered by Recyda, we are closing the loop between European and North American compliance.
Recyda eliminates the need to dig through detailed guidelines to assess packaging units. Simply enter your packaging specifications into the platform and instantly see how recyclable each unit is against the relevant guidelines (examples include not only the APR Design® Guide but also the German Minimum Standard, CEFLEX D4ACE Guidelines and more).
Not just individual units, Recyda helps companies achieve this at scale on a portfolio level. Packaging data can be imported via API, assessed against guidelines from 20+ countries, enriched by filling data gaps, and portfolio-wide results can be visualised through interactive dashboards - all in one platform.
Companies can then directly export and use these results for both internal and external reporting requirements; CSRD, Declaration of Conformity for PPWR, etc.
Furthermore, Recyda goes beyond assessing the current state; it helps future-proof your portfolio by identifying and mitigating risks. For instance, you can proactively pinpoint packaging likely to be impacted by market bans and make necessary changes before they become costly.
To optimize packaging, you can also get detailed insights into why specific low-recyclability materials are classified that way, according to the selected guidelines.
“The regulatory landscape is clear: the future demands recyclable packaging,” says Vivian Loftin, co-founder and CMO at Recyda. ”We provide the digital tools to master this complexity at scale, ensuring this shift truly leads to more recyclable packaging, not just a bureaucratic nightmare.”
Stop letting manual assessments drain your resources. Talk to a Recyda expert now to see how quickly you can streamline your portfolio-wide recyclability assessments.
This content was sponsored by Recyda
