The circular economy is all about creating a system where resources are used efficiently, waste is minimized, and materials are reused or recycled back into the economy. And data plays a crucial role in this transition.
We spoke with Brad Wright, Executive Vice President of RLG Americas, about how data is driving progress in the circular economy. With over 30 years of experience in environmental services, Brad shares how data is helping businesses navigate sustainability challenges and go beyond compliance.
Tell us how Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) and Reconomy are working to advance a circular economy in Canada and globally?
Reconomy is an international business that operates in 80 countries, supported by 26 local offices. We are a tech-enabled, asset-light business that relies on advanced technology and flexible operations to deliver our services. Our focus is to help customers fulfill their extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations, optimize their supply chains, and transition toward a circular economy. Essentially, our mission is to help businesses move toward a more sustainable and resource-efficient model through our three key service offerings, or “loops”: Recycle, comply, and reuse.
In Canada, we have a significant role to play. For example, RLG is the operator of Ontario’s Blue Box Common Collection System. We also serve as a producer responsibility organization (PRO) in Ontario for information technology, telecommunications, and audio-visual equipment (ITT/AV) and offer consulting services to guide companies in environmental compliance and enhance their sustainability practices.
We recognize that transitioning to a circular economy isn’t something we can achieve alone — it requires partnerships with businesses, governments, and communities. Working together, we aim to create a more sustainable future and ensure resources are used efficiently.
From your experience, what are the untapped opportunities where data can play a transformative role in advancing circular economy practices globally?
Having the right data helps us make informed decisions that bring us closer to a circular economy. A great example of this is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) reporting. PFAS are a class of human-made substances called “forever chemicals” because of their propensity not to break down in the environment. Their persistence, combined with growing evidence of their adverse effects on the environment and human health, has governments looking for solutions.
However, before governments can propose new regulations, they need an abundance of high-quality data to help inform their decision-making. We use digital tools and data-driven insights to quickly adapt to customer needs for PFAS reporting requirements. Accurate data provides quantifiable evidence that can drive legislative change against substances harmful to our health and the environment around the globe.
How does data empower organizations like RLG and Reconomy to support the optimization of circular economy supply chains and practices?
Data is a key driver in optimizing circular economy supply chains. Our Supplier Data Hub is instrumental in collecting and managing data from various suppliers within the supply chain. It allows us to make informed recommendations on supplier performance, material sourcing, and composition, ensuring that every partner in the supply chain is aligned with circular economy goals.
Our Data Insight Platform allows us to gather and analyze data related to packaging and its contents. One of its most powerful features, enabled by our 50+ million SKU product database, is its ability to benchmark our customers against their peers. This helps our customers understand how they stack up in the industry, which then allows them to identify respective areas for improvement.
On the financial side, we assist clients with forecasting fees and anticipating compliance costs by analyzing historical data and market trends. Additionally, we analyze end-of-life disposition data to recommend best practices for managing products at the end of their life cycle, including recycling and recovery options. Our goal is to guide companies in their environmental compliance journey and maximize resource recovery, which are fundamental aspects of the circular economy.
How do you collaborate with governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to standardize and share data in ways that benefit all stakeholders?
Good data is critical to any decision-making process. Canada’s Federal Plastics Registry, for example, will require large amounts of data that not every business is equipped to collect. This is further exacerbated by the diversity of sectors that are obligated to report. Its scale is too large for any one entity, necessitating industry associates to begin collaborating to manage it efficiently and effectively.
RLG plays a large role in these kinds of collaborative efforts. Working closely with both government officials and obligated producers, we have a deep understanding of the concerns of producers and the opportunities where both producers and the government can meet in the middle. We help facilitate conversations between the right people, know where we can iterate, and understand when new solutions need to be created.
In this way, our global expertise and years of experience support progress toward a more circular economy.
Are you seeing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and digital platforms play a bigger role in accelerating the transition to a more circular economy globally?
Technology is really at the heart of driving this change. We’re seeing a significant increase in the use of technologies like AI and data analytics for collecting data and analyzing trends.
We believe that sustainability and data analytics go hand-in-hand. By leveraging advanced technologies like our Supplier Data Hub and Data Insight Platform, we help businesses collect, organize, and analyze critical data. Whether it’s reporting under packaging EPR or PFAS, data plays a key role in driving efficiency and effectiveness in all sustainability efforts. With the right analytics, businesses can answer key questions and identify clear paths forward, enabling smarter decision-making and stronger outcomes throughout the entire supply chain.
Technology is becoming increasingly important in connecting stakeholders across the supply chain, and AI is now being used by companies to collect information and answer questions about the material composition of their products. These technologies enable collaboration between manufacturers, recyclers, and consumers, making it easier to share data and insights.
What insights have you gained from working with data that challenge common assumptions about waste, materials, or resource use globally?
A common assumption is that high recycling rates equate to effective material recovery. However, data often reveals significant losses in the recycling process due to contamination, inefficient sorting, or lack of processing infrastructure for certain materials. This highlights the need to design products with end-of-life recovery in mind and promote circular economy principles.
Another key insight is the importance of assessing the full life cycle of materials when making design choices. It’s often assumed that materials like bioplastics are inherently more sustainable than conventional options. However, data reveals that their production can involve significant environmental impacts, such as high land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, without proper industrial composting facilities, bioplastics may not break down as intended, which can lead to pollution challenges similar to those of conventional plastics.
This challenges the assumption that alternative materials are always better and highlights the need to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic impacts of materials across their entire life cycle — from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal. It also emphasizes the critical role life cycle assessment plays in making informed and truly sustainable material choices.
Looking ahead, what opportunities do you see for the circular economy in Canada over the next decade, and how do RLG and Reconomy envision being part of this future?
As sustainability becomes more important to businesses and consumers in Canada, we expect to see a growing demand in numerous areas of the circular economy.
For example, we recognize a significant opportunity for sustainability as a service. This is especially useful in tackling scope 3 emissions, which come from a company’s entire supply chain. We expect that addressing scope 3 emissions will help businesses meet their sustainability goals while responding to growing pressure from regulations and consumers who want more transparency, as well as positively impacting the environment.
Circular take-back programs are also becoming increasingly important. We believe there’s a strong market for establishing systems that encourage consumers to return products at the end of their life cycle. This not only helps reduce waste but also allows us to reclaim valuable materials for reuse, refurbishing, and recycling.
There’s certainly a growing demand for textile take-back programs, where clothing and other fabric materials can be collected, refurbished, and reintroduced into the market. In fact, Reconomy has recently set up a textiles PRO in Italy and launched a tech-enabled service called ReDress, an innovative solution that helps businesses understand their global textiles obligations, legislative timelines, and reporting requirements. We believe it’s only a matter of time before similar legislation is enacted in Canada, and we’re ready to assist the industry and consumers in this important take-back initiative.
When it comes to reuse, we’re noticing a shift toward this important practice across various sectors. For example, Reuse Ottawa, a reusable food container pilot, launched by the Circular Innovation Council and its partners, is a great initiative aimed at eliminating single-use plastic waste.
We’re also excited about the continued growth of EPR in Canada. By holding producers accountable for the entire life cycle of their products, we can encourage innovation and the shift toward more sustainable practices. At RLG and Reconomy, we envision being at the forefront of these initiatives, collaborating with businesses and communities to develop effective take-back systems and improve recycling processes.
This story was featured in the Circular Economy Magazine:
