Waste-footprint tool launched to help organisations turn responsibility into verified recovery

Kolekt has launched its Waste Footprint Calculator, a new digital tool designed to help organisations understand their waste footprint and take practical action to make it lighter and more circular.

“The calculator gives organisations a practical starting point: calculate the footprint, reduce it where possible, and support verified recovery for the material that cannot yet be avoided.” Thierry Sanders, Kolekt Founder.

The tool guides companies through three stages: calculating their organisation’s waste footprint; identifying ways to reduce, reuse, refill, repair or recycle materials; and sharing their results to support wider action on waste. It is aimed at organisations looking to strengthen their waste strategy, engage employees and suppliers, and turn high-level circular-economy commitments into a measurable plan.

For material that remains outside a company’s direct recovery systems, the platform can help organisations close their waste-footprint ‘gap’ by purchasing or reserving verified recovery certificates. These are designed to direct funding to waste operators and recyclers, while the collection and processing activity is tracked through the Kolekt App.

The calculator combines the World Bank’s ‘What a Waste 3.0’ data with Kolekt’s Waste Simulator, providing a country-specific basis for estimating average waste footprints. Its integration with Kolekt Certificates and traceability tools gives recycling and FMCG companies a single route from estimation to funding and evidence of recovery.

For producers, brands and retailers, the tool is intended to complement, rather than replace, waste prevention, product redesign, local collection systems and any applicable Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or reporting obligations. It offers a practical way to understand a residual waste footprint, support waste-management infrastructure, and demonstrate progress through traceable action.