Consumer health giant Kenvue, the parent company of Tylenol, Listerine and Neutrogena, has partnered with AI waste analytics company Greyparrot to track how its packaging performs inside operational recycling facilities.

Using Greyparrot’s Deepnest platform, Kenvue aims to move beyond traditional “design-for-recycling” assumptions by analysing how packaging is actually detected, sorted and recovered in commercial-scal

e recycling environments across the UK and U.S.

The platform creates a digital twin of recycling systems using AI-based recognition technology, helping identify how specific packaging components — including labels, pumps and material choices — impact recovery rates.

“We must move beyond aspirational guidelines and embrace real-world evidence,” said David Lickstein, Global Head of Packaging Innovation, Sustainability and Experience at Kenvue, describing AI-driven waste intelligence as a “fundamental shift” in sustainable packaging development.

The partnership also reflects a broader industry shift as tightening EU PPWR and EPR regulations push brands toward measurable recyclability performance rather than theoretical compliance.

Beyond waste tracking, AI is increasingly being used to model recovery scenarios, estimate EPR costs and optimize packaging design decisions before physical prototypes are even produced.

Greyparrot says companies including L’Oréal, Unilever and McDonald’s are already using its technology as brands face growing pressure to prove circularity performance with operational data.