Waste analytics solutions provider Greyparrot has introduced Deepnest, an AI-powered waste intelligence platform.

This system provides brands with direct access to their recyclable waste data, addressing a significant knowledge gap in post-use product life cycles caused by limited waste infrastructure and inadequate data availability.

Deepnest delivers precise insights into packaging performance, enabling brands to refine their products and business models.

By 2040, regulations such as virgin plastic taxes and extended producer responsibility fees are projected to cost global businesses up to $100bn annually, stated Greyparrot.

Extending the packaging's life cycle is essential for enhancing circularity and mitigating financial risks, according to the company.

Consumer goods companies currently invest millions in product innovation, testing facilities, and consultancy services to improve their packaging, but often lack real-world data to verify these efforts.

Deepnest addresses this by offering granular, product-specific data that tracks packaging performance across brands, materials, and regions.

It provides clarity on how packaging navigates the waste stream, detailing what is sorted, recycled, or lost, relying solely on objective, data-driven evidence, without reliance on estimates.

The platform further equips brands with tailored recommendations to optimise their packaging design, including adjustments to shape, colour, and material composition.

Greyparrot co-founder Ambarish Mitra said: “The term 'waste' is itself a misnomer - our data shows that post-consumption materials are worth billions to our global economy. For too long, brands have had to operate with little visibility into their packaging's end-of-life.”

Major consumer goods brands and packaging manufacturers, including Unilever and Amcor, are currently trialling Greyparrot’s technology to adapt to the evolving waste management landscape and leverage its insights.

Unilever deodorants global R&D head Liz Smith said: “AI-enabled waste intelligence tools have great potential to provide new visibility into how packaging is actually being sorted and processed in real-world recycling systems.”

In May 2024, Greyparrot teamed up with VAN DYK Recycling Solutions, which serves over 50% of the US waste management market.

Together, they will retrofit large materials recovery facilities with advanced AI sorting technology to enhance recycling rates, improve material purity, and digitally measure emissions.