As regulatory frameworks tighten across major markets, the ability to track actual packaging recyclability has shifted from an aspirational effort to a financial and operational necessity.
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) and the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) are directly linking packaging design decisions to cost. For global consumer health brands, the question is no longer whether to measure packaging performance in real-world recycling systems, but how.
For the Kenvue team, packaging waste intelligence now provides the answer.
From design intent to recycling reality
Many packaging formats are technically "recyclable" by design, but their real recovery rate is often a different story. Variables such as component materials, label types, and regional infrastructure mean that design intent and recycling reality frequently diverge.
Through Deepnest, Kenvue will transition from theoretical design-for-recycling models to evidence-based data derived from real-world recycling environments. Using computer vision AI to analyse packaging directly inside commercial-scale sorting facilities, Deepnest will enable Kenvue to:
- Quantify sortability and processability performance across recycling facilities in the UK and USA, capturing how its products behave in practice – not just in a lab.
- Identify design optimisation opportunities by pinpointing how specific components, such as pumps or labels, affect detection and recovery rates.
- Model what-if scenarios to forecast the financial impact of EPR on design changes, such as adjusting translucency or switching material types – before physical prototypes are manufactured
David Lickstein, Global Head of Packaging Innovation, Sustainability, and Experience at Kenvue, described the significance of the shift:
"To help achieve our circular packaging goals, we must move beyond aspirational guidelines and embrace real-world evidence. Our partnership with Greyparrot and the integration of Deepnest represents a fundamental shift in how we approach sustainable packaging. AI-driven waste intelligence allows us to go beyond simple tracking and into advanced scenario modeling, helping us identify the most impactful design changes and implement innovative solutions across our global portfolio faster and more cost-effectively than ever before."
David Lickstein, Global Head of Packaging Innovation, Sustainability, and Experience at Kenvue
Data at the scale the industry requires
The collaboration with Kenvue marks a significant milestone in Greyparrot’s mission to provide the waste intelligence layer for the circular economy. Kenvue joins an elite ecosystem of industry leaders utilizing Greyparrot technology, including L’Oréal Groupe, Unilever, McDonald’s, and more.
From my perspective as Managing Director of Deepnest, data is the ultimate catalyst for change in the sustainable packaging landscape, and AI has provided the means to deliver insights at a truly global scale. This collaboration represents a significant step beyond waste tracking; it's about utilising Deepnest's predictive capabilities to model real-world recovery scenarios.
In the process, we're empowering Kenvue to make actionable, data-led design changes quicker and more cost-effectively than ever before, and accelarating the transition to a truly circular economy.
Ambarish Mitra, co-founder at Greyparrot, summed up this partnership's significance in a few words:
"Circular packaging is no longer an aspiration, it is fast becoming the standard. We're proud to partner with Kenvue to turn design intent into measurable impact, helping set a new benchmark for how the industry designs, measures and delivers circularity."
Ambarish Mitra, co-founder at Greyparrot