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Beech-Nut partnered with Scrapp® to give parents clear, location-specific recycling guidance for baby food packaging — turning a confusing disposal experience into a one-scan answer. The collaboration covered 100+ products, a full packaging audit, and a data foundation for EPR compliance across the US.
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Why is baby food packaging so hard to recycle?
Baby food packaging has to work harder than most. It needs to meet strict food safety standards, extend shelf life, and protect products designed for the most vulnerable consumers. That means multi-material formats — pouches lined with foil, trays sealed with film, jars with composite lids — that don't fit neatly into a single recycling stream.
For parents, the result is confusion. A glass jar might be recyclable, but the metal lid might not be — depending on where you live. A pouch might feel recyclable, but most curbside programs won't accept it. And the recycling symbols printed on the packaging? They tell you what the material is, not what your local program actually accepts.
Beech-Nut knew this was a problem. Parents were asking about packaging disposal on social media, through customer service, and in product reviews. The brand had tried to create disposal guides before, but recycling rules change municipality by municipality across the US — making any static guide outdated almost immediately.
On top of consumer confusion, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations were gaining momentum in states like California, Colorado, and Oregon. Non-recyclable packaging was on track to become a direct cost to the business. Beech-Nut needed a way to understand their packaging footprint and give parents a tool that actually worked — without overhauling their packaging or artwork.
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How Scrapp helped Beech-Nut take control of their packaging data
The partnership started with Scrapp's brand-verified program. Beech-Nut uploaded over 100 products into Scrapp's system, giving every item in their range a verified recycling profile. From day one, any parent using the Scrapp mobile app could scan a Beech-Nut barcode and get instant, location-specific disposal instructions — no guesswork, no outdated guides.
But verification was just the starting point. Scrapp's team worked directly with Beech-Nut's packaging engineers and Julia Durgee, Sr. Manager of Omnichannel Marketing & Insights and Sustainability Co-Lead, to carry out a comprehensive audit of the full product line. The audit went beyond theoretical recyclability to analyze actual end-market outcomes: what happens to each material once it enters the waste stream in practice, not just in theory.
Key actions included:
- Full product line analysis across 100+ SKUs, covering every packaging component and material type
- End-market data mapping to show real-world recycling rates by region, not just whether a material can be recycled
- EPR readiness assessment to prepare Beech-Nut for upcoming producer responsibility legislation in multiple US states
- Packaging alternative recommendations based on existing waste infrastructure, so improvements could be made without requiring entirely new materials or artwork changes
The breakthrough moment came when Beech-Nut's complete catalog was integrated into the Scrapp ecosystem. Parents across the US could now scan any Beech-Nut product and see exactly what to do with every component — the jar, the lid, the label, the tray — based on their specific zip code.
When I first heard Scrapp featured on the Sustainable Packaging Podcast, I knew Beech-Nut had to work with them. Mikey was incredibly helpful in helping us understand EPR nuances, pros vs. cons of each of our packaging materials, retailers' packaging guidance, and how far we all need to go. Mikey is a passionate packaging professional, and his research will help us be more transparent with our Beech-Nut consumers.
Julia Durgee
What changed for Beech-Nut
The impact showed up across multiple parts of the business:
- Customer service inquiries about packaging dropped significantly — parents had a self-serve tool that gave them the answer in under a second
- Social media engagement around sustainability grew — Beech-Nut could point parents to a real, working tool rather than a vague commitment
- Packaging decisions became data-informed — the audit gave internal teams hard numbers on recyclability rates, infrastructure gaps, and material performance across regions
- EPR compliance readiness moved from unknown to mapped — Beech-Nut now has the data foundation to meet upcoming producer responsibility requirements without scrambling
Most importantly, Beech-Nut could talk about packaging sustainability with confidence. No vague claims. No greenwashing risk. Just a scannable tool that works, backed by verified data.
Beyond the bottom line: why this matters for parents and the planet
The business case for this partnership is clear — reduced support costs, EPR preparedness, and competitive differentiation with major grocery retailers who increasingly factor sustainability into purchasing decisions. But the social and environmental impact runs deeper.
Every year, billions of baby food containers enter the waste stream globally. Parents — often the most environmentally motivated consumer group — are left guessing about what goes where. That guessing leads to contamination in recycling streams, which leads to entire loads being sent to landfill. The problem isn't a lack of care. It's a lack of clear, trustworthy information at the moment of disposal.
By giving parents a tool that answers the question instantly and accurately, Beech-Nut isn't just reducing their own waste footprint. They're rebuilding trust in a system that has confused and frustrated consumers for years. When a parent scans a Beech-Nut jar and sees a clear answer, it changes their behavior not just for that product — but for the next one they pick up.
Through Scrapp's partnership with Plastic Bank, every scan also contributes to removing ocean-bound plastic from the environment — compounding the impact of each interaction.
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What's next for Beech-Nut and Scrapp
Beech-Nut and Scrapp continue to collaborate on packaging innovation. Using Scrapp's ongoing data, the team is identifying opportunities to shift to more widely recyclable materials and forecasting the cost impact of circular economy policies as new EPR legislation rolls out state by state. The goal: make every Beech-Nut product easier to recycle, and prove it with data.
Ready to understand your packaging footprint?
If you're a brand or retailer looking to give customers clear recycling guidance, prepare for EPR compliance, and make packaging decisions backed by real end-market data — book a 15-minute call with the Scrapp team.
See how other brands are tackling packaging waste: Culimer USA | Sunrays | Pete & Gerry's