Prove where your packaging goes.
Empower records each collection, transfer and delivery of recovered material at the source, so brands, recyclers and producer responsibility organizations can report on evidence instead of estimates. We are adapting the Empower platform for US EPR reporting.
- CollectedCollection point 17 · photo and GPS1,240 kg
Verified - AggregatedSorting hub · truck-scale ticket1,212 kg
Verified - Delivered to recyclerReprocessor intake · signed receipt1,198 kg
Verified - Recycling confirmedRecycler output reportto follow
Pending - Allocated to producerEPR report, Q41,198 kg
Awaiting sign-off
Packaging has become a compliance obligation.
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws make producers pay for, and prove, what happens to their packaging after use. Much of that evidence is fragmented, assembled by hand and hard to verify.
countries with EPR rules for one or more product groups Source: OECD estimate, cited by BSI
US states with packaging EPR laws Source: Brightest state tracker, verified Aug 2026
the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applies, with many obligations phasing in from 2028 Source: Regulation (EU) 2025/40
From the point of collection to the compliance report.
How the Empower platform works. We are adapting it for US state EPR reporting; reporting features for US schemes are in development.
Log
Collectors and hubs log each pickup and transfer on a phone, with weight, photo and location.
Check
Records are checked against scale tickets, receipts and the previous step, so gaps show up early.
Assign
Verified tons are matched to the producers and programs that funded their recovery.
Report
Evidence packs for EPR filings, recycled-content claims and audits come straight from the record.
One record, shared by everyone in the chain.
Brands and packaging producers
Meet EPR and recycled-content obligations with data you can stand behind.
Producer responsibility organizations
See verified volumes across members and service providers in one place.
Recyclers and collection networks
Show buyers and funders exactly what you recovered, and get paid on it.
Programs in emerging markets
Bring informal collectors into the record, with fair and traceable payment.
Built on the Empower platform.
The Empower platform has been in use since 2018. The figures below are historical. We have relaunched the business from Atlanta, and the platform is being adapted for the US EPR market.
tons of material registered on the platform, 2018–2025
transactions recorded
countries with activity
people directly involved in collection
Sources: Empower platform data, 2018–2025; countries and people from UNDP Digital X, Empower Tracking profile (2022).
- Finalist and Impact Potential Award, Mastercard Lighthouse MASSIV, spring 2025
- Feasibility study on circular plastics value chains in Nigeria with Dow, part-funded by NORAD (2021)
- Nominee, UX Design Awards 2022, for the Empower Tracking app
- Finalist, MIT Solve Tiger Challenge (international)
- Empower Tracking listed in UNDP’s Digital X solutions catalogue
Frequently asked questions
Does Empower replace our EPR reporting tool?
No. Reporting tools compile what companies declare. Empower supplies the evidence underneath: a record of each physical movement of material, from collection onward, that the reported figures can be traced back to.
Who records the material?
The people who handle it: collectors, hubs and recyclers, using a mobile app. Documents such as truck-scale tickets and receipts are attached as they are produced.
Does it work with informal collection networks?
Yes. Empower was first used in markets where much of the collection is informal, including Nigeria, and was built for fragmented networks of small collectors.
Which regulations will it support?
We are adapting the platform's reporting for US state packaging EPR laws and recycled-content requirements, starting with the states where obligations apply first. Reports are configured to each scheme.
Request a demo.
Tell us about the material streams or programs you need to report on, and we will show you how Empower would record them.