Systemiq and Earth Action have created an analytics platform, the Packaging Data Hub, aimed at resolving long-standing variations in post-consumer plastic waste accounting.
Packaging producer Amcor and consumer goods group Colgate-Palmolive are among the initial corporate partners backing the initiative.
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Initial platform metrics show that roughly 18% of plastic packaging is recycled in practice across the 50 monitored countries.
These jurisdictions collectively generate approximately 80% of global plastic packaging waste.
Within this geographical footprint, flexible packaging accounts for an estimated 40% of plastic waste volumes yet record an actual recycling rate of only around 10%.
Across low- and middle-income countries, the presence of extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations correlates with a doubling of recovery performance.
The platform calculates the current European Union plastic packaging recycling rate at around 35%, well below the 55% target established for 2030 under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
This calculation falls below official EU baselines because the Hub registers material only after collection and sorting and processing losses have been deducted, isolating the net usable secondary polymer.
Data inaccuracies pose direct financial and regulatory liabilities for corporate brand owners.
Incomplete market intelligence can trigger misallocated capital spending, unwarranted product reformulations, and exposure to scrutiny over unverified public claims.
To counter these vulnerabilities, the system compiles unified metrics across 12 distinct plastic packaging configurations in 50 countries.
The dataset covers estimated volumes entering commerce, tonnages collected for recovery, and final yields recycled in practice.
The underlying methodology was tested and approved by a technical advisory board featuring packaging specialists from Amcor, Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, and Unilever.
Strategic direction is overseen by a Steering Committee comprising the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, WWF, CDP, WRAP, the Global Plastic Action Partnership, and The Consumer Goods Forum. Operational funding has been provided by the Röchling Foundation and EIT Food.
Information within the directory is derived from more than 100 audited commercial and government inventories, alongside direct reporting agreements with materials recovery facilities, reclaimers, and producer responsibility organisations.
The resulting baseline allows packaging technologists and compliance teams to evaluate specific formats across international territories.
This intelligence is designed to inform technical design specifications and satisfy legal obligations, including California’s SB 54, the EU PPWR, and national EPR mandates.
The figures can also be applied to voluntary corporate sustainability benchmarks, including CDP submissions, Scope 3 greenhouse gas calculations, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Global Commitment.
A planned system upgrade in 2027 will introduce recovery projections, extend tracking to paper and cardboard formats, incorporate US state-level reporting, and onboard further data contributors.
