Description of our session: 

Data is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity. It is often called the new oil: when refined, it can power industries as diverse as technology and medicine, education – and even product stewardship. But data is also often unobtainable, unwieldy, unreliable, or unsecure. 

How can data be refined – quickly and cost-effectively – to power the circular economy, help governments build better Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks, and make managing and reporting on recycling programs easier and more effective for product stewards? 

This session will explore the connection between data and EPR legislation; specifically, we will examine the need for reliable, accurate data to build more effective EPR frameworks – ones that actually move us towards a circular economy. As EPR legislation takes hold around the world, the demands on product stewardships grow more numerous each year. Current tools for managing recycling programs fall short as government regulators, consumers, and manufacturers are demanding better data than these systems can supply.
However, the right tool CAN supply product stewards with precisely what they need to meet obligations and drive better EPR directly from the field up to government. 

Learning Outcomes: 

By the end of this session, attendees will: 

• Understand that building or operating in an EPR framework without reliable data is impossible 
• See how high-quality data streamlines the move towards a circular economy 
• Learn about the tool that easily, quickly, and cost-effectively gives product stewards both the data AND the analysis they need to meet compliance obligations and to answer their stakeholders 
• Be empowered to address recycling management productivity concerns