Packaging Innovation
Efficient simulation and comparison of various options in terms of recyclability.
Time Savings
Reduced recyclability
assessment time
per packaging.
Resource Efficiency
Automated recyclability calculations meant spending less time on legacy systems.
Background
Global skincare company Beiersdorf, founded in 1882, develops and manufactures innovative skin and body care products for internationally recognized brands, including NIVEA, Eucerin, La Prairie, Hansaplast, and Labello.
With 140 years of industry experience and extensive global operations, Beiersdorf takes its responsibility seriously towards consumers, employees, the environment, and society through its purpose "CARE BEYOND SKIN", which is also the name of its Sustainability Agenda.
This commitment highlights its expertise in navigating complex international packaging regulations and sustainability requirements across multiple markets.
With the start of the first recyclability reporting period, Beiersdorf was confronted with the complexity of assessing recyclability across its vast global packaging portfolio.
The company required a solution that could move beyond interim fixes to provide a software-based approach to mass data imports, enabling one-click recyclability calculations.
The Challenge: Early Manual Processes and Their Limitations
Initially, Beiersdorf relied on a predominantly manual approach to assess recyclability. This included entering individual packaging units manually into a recyclability calculator, after which a heuristic model was applied to extrapolate results across similar packaging groups.
At the core of recyclability assessments lies packaging data. However, manual processes limited the ability to consolidate, analyze, and enrich data effectively. Data quality quickly emerged as the critical baseline for accurate recyclability assessments.
In addition, the scale of suppliers and the variety of packaging specifications across regions created a highly complex landscape across packaging units. This complexity made scalable analysis impossible.
Consequently, each packaging system unit required an individual, case-by-case assessment. While this approach provided a temporary solution, increasingly detailed global recyclability requirements made it clear that a more efficient, permanent, and scalable solution was necessary.
Additionally, manual assessments often required physical packaging samples to be sent to laboratories for testing which was a time-consuming process.
The Solution: Digitalizing Recyclability Assessments Through Standardized Data Integration
In need of a dedicated software solution, Beiersdorf utilized Recyda’s standardized framework to overhaul its master data. A key part of this transition involved a SAP PLM master data rework. In co-creation with Recyda, a future-ready “List of Values” (LOVs) was developed to describe a packaging system for recyclability assessment.
The solution transformed how data was collected: for example, changing the "color" field from a free-text entry, which hindered data usability, into categories aligned with recyclability assessment criteria. This allowed Beiersdorf to easily answer recyclability questions dependent on color and opacity.
Moving forward, this high-quality data in combination with a customized mapping from Recyda, allows Beiersdorf to automate recyclability reporting while enhancing overall data quality. This replaced a semi-manual process that had previously been prone to human error.
“
By replacing semi-manual workflows, Recyda provides a scalable digital solution, developed alongside Beiersdorf, to transform our internal processes and deliver instant results for our global packaging portfolio. ”
The Impact
Time Savings
Reduced recyclability assessment time from weeks to seconds per packaging - accelerating analysis across hundreds of SKUs.
Data Quality and Compliance
High-quality data is essential for Beiersdorf to report accurate recyclability KPIs as part of their 2030 sustainability agenda and targets.
Resource Efficiency
The availability of a global, up-to-date and automated recyclability calculation frees up resources for packaging innovation work, as recyclability assessments are now done automatically and effortlessly for development teams.
Strategic Foresight
By implementing Recyda’s solution, Beiersdorf unlocked a digital analytical framework that provides visibility into remaining challenges and supports data‑driven optimization of the global packaging portfolio.
“
The collaboration was always very positive. The team had a great solutions-oriented attitude, and we never once heard 'no, that’s not possible’ during the entire project. ”
Looking Ahead: Future-Proofing Portfolio Sustainability
Looking ahead, Beiersdorf intends to leverage the full potential of the software. The next goal is to simulate the impact of design changes on the entire portfolio, specifically regarding recyclability outcomes, ensuring that sustainability is integrated into the earliest stages of product design.
"The biggest benefit is having a global recyclability calculation readily available, always up to date and standardized. This provides clear visibility into where action is still needed and how the packaging portfolio can be further optimized to support global sustainability targets"
Lisa Nobis - Data Manager at Beiersdorf
Ready to Leave
Manual Assessments Behind?
Fill out the form below to download our free 5-step roadmap and learn how to automate your assessment process efficiently and at scale.