For Recycling & Take-Back Operations

Stop competing on price per kilo. Start competing on value.

If your pitch is "we collect, we process, here's your weight report" — it's the same pitch as everyone else. And your retail clients know it. The moment a cheaper competitor appears, or volumes drop, there's nothing holding them to you.

Utilitarian gives you something no other recycler can offer: a consumer engagement platform that turns your retail client's take-back programme into a customer acquisition channel. When you provide that, switching you out becomes the thing they can't do.

See how it adds to your service pitch → Book a Demo

What you can offer that no competitor can

For your retail client

Consumer engagement platform: email capture, rewards, loyalty data, CSRD reporting — built into their take-back programme.

For you

A retention mechanism that makes you essential. Streamlined intake data. Automated box tracking and weight reporting. One flat monthly fee — not per client, not per store.

One monthly fee. Covers every retail client, every product type, every store. Setup waived when introduced alongside a retail partner.

The threat

The retail take-back market is growing. And it's commoditising.

EPR and CSRD are pushing every major retailer towards take-back — which means more volume, but also more competition for that volume. More recyclers bidding on the same contracts. More pressure on price per kilo as the only differentiator retailers can evaluate.

If your value proposition is logistics and processing, it's a race to the bottom. The recyclers who survive that race are the ones who create switching costs their retail clients are unwilling to bear.

Competing on price per kilo

– Evaluated purely on cost

– Any cheaper competitor wins

– No switching cost for the retailer

– Margins compress as competition grows

Competing on value with Utilitarian

✓ Offer a customer acquisition platform

✓ Switching means losing the platform

✓ Strong switching cost for the retailer

✓ Margin protected by unique value

The retention mechanism

When a retail client evaluates switching, the conversation changes.

Without Utilitarian, the only question is: "Is there a cheaper recycler?" With Utilitarian embedded in their programme, the question becomes: "What do we lose if we switch?" — and the answer is their customer engagement platform, their email acquisition channel, and their CSRD data layer.

The competitive scenario

A competing recycler quotes 8% lower per kilo. Your retail client starts the evaluation. With a standard recycling service, that evaluation has one variable: cost.

With Utilitarian embedded in your service, they're also evaluating: 22,500 email subscribers per year. Their CSRD reporting data trail. Their customer loyalty programme. Their repeat visit metrics. Their discount redemption data.

That's a conversation-stopper. The 8% saving doesn't cover what they'd lose.

High-intent subscriber capture at €3.25 — they can't get this without the programme

Data

CSRD-ready product-level records — auditable chain from consumer to outcome

Loyalty

Repeat visit behaviour — customers return specifically for the take-back reward

Operational benefits

It also makes your operations cleaner.

Once the retention mechanism is clear, the operational improvements become table-stakes bonuses. Better intake data, automated tracking, simplified reporting.

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Structured intake data

Each take-back comes with brand, model, category. You know what's in the box before it arrives.

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Box tracking

Automated box allocation per store. Track volumes, collection schedules, and processing status from a single dashboard.

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Weight allocation & reporting

Weight and volume reporting structured for your retail clients' EPR submissions. Reduces manual admin at both ends.

Partner testimony

Used by recyclers already working with major retail chains.

"Utilitarian gives us something to offer retailers that none of our competitors can match. It's not just a take-back service anymore — it's a growth programme for their business, powered by our recycling operation."

Danny Pormes · FastFeetGrinded

Questions recyclers ask

"What does this actually cost us?"

A single flat monthly fee — not per retail client, not per store, not per product type. One rate covers your entire operation. Setup is typically waived when the partnership comes alongside a retail client introduction. We'll confirm the specifics in the first conversation.

"We already have our own reporting for retail clients."

Utilitarian's reporting supplements what you already provide. You continue to deliver processing data and weight reports as normal. The platform adds the consumer-facing layer — the QR flow, the email capture, the sustainability disclosures — that your clients can't get from a standard recycling service. They're additive, not competing.

"How do we introduce this to existing retail clients?"

We help you make the introduction. The pitch is simple: "We're giving your take-back programme a consumer engagement layer — at no extra cost to you." Lead with the marketing ROI story (€3.25 email capture, repeat visit loyalty) rather than the compliance angle. We can help you frame the conversation and support the first retail presentation.

"What are the processing standards requirements?"

We require that recycling partners meet responsible processing standards — ethical circular outcomes are a non-negotiable condition, not an aspiration. We'll review your current processing standards as part of onboarding. In most cases with established operations, this is a brief verification rather than a compliance project.

See how it adds to your service pitch.

We'll walk through how the platform works alongside your existing operation, and help you frame it for your current retail clients.

Book a Demo →