Kenvue tracks packaging through recycling stream with Greyparrot’s AI

AI-driven technologies are rapidly transforming the packaging industry, with consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies increasingly leveraging waste analytics to advance product circularity. Driven by incoming Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations and eco-modulation penalties, major brands like Kenvue, Colgate-Palmolive, and Amazon are shifting from passive reporting to active, data-driven packaging design.

A prime example is the collaboration between Kenvue and Greyparrot, a seven-year-old AI waste analytics firm. Greyparrot recently introduced Deepnest, a specialized platform designed to give brands full traceability over what happens to their packaging once it enters material recovery facilities (MRFs) in the U.S. and the U.K. For instance, the platform can track a specific Johnson’s PET shampoo bottle through a recycling facility, noting the exact ratio that reaches the targeted PET stream and the percentage that still has a cap attached. This granular data allows Kenvue to make incremental design changes—such as modifying a plastic hue—to directly boost real-world sortation efficiency.

Similarly, Colgate-Palmolive has partnered with recycling AI and robotics firm Glacier to deploy an AI model specifically trained to detect and characterize toothpaste tubes based on their recyclability characteristics. This breakthrough allows the consumer goods giant to verify capture rates and optimize its end-of-life product management. Glacier is also collaborating with Amazon to train AI models to identify emerging materials like bioplastics, giving the e-commerce giant unprecedented traceability down the supply chain to verify that its packaging is actually being recycled.

According to a recent report by the Consumer Goods Forum and Bain & Co., integrating AI during the design phase is critical for optimizing dimensions, reducing material use, and improving baseline recyclability. As state-mandated EPR reporting grows more stringent, digital specification management firms like Specright emphasize that AI-driven data collection will be indispensable for producers seeking to streamline compliance and continuously refine their global packaging portfolios.