Oddisea | Fishing for less waste

Oddisea (formerly Culimer USA) partnered with Scrapp® to map the real-world waste footprint of their entire seafood product line across the US. The analysis uncovered a 37% landfill waste reduction opportunity, identified the packaging formats driving the highest environmental impact, and built a data foundation for EPR compliance — all using actual end-market recycling data, not theoretical rates.

What makes seafood packaging waste so difficult to measure?

Frozen seafood packaging is built for performance. It needs to survive cold chains, protect product integrity, prevent freezer burn, and maintain food safety standards from ocean to shelf. That means multi-layer films, polyethylene-coated trays, vacuum-sealed pouches, and composite materials — formats designed to keep food fresh, not to be easy to recycle.

The challenge for brands like Oddisea isn't a lack of commitment to sustainability. They already hold Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certifications and are working towards B-Corporation status. The challenge is visibility. When your product line uses dozens of packaging formats distributed across thousands of retail locations in North America, understanding what actually happens to that packaging after purchase is nearly impossible without the right data.

Most packaging sustainability claims are based on theoretical recyclability — whether the material could be recycled under ideal conditions. But theoretical and practical are two different things. A tray might be technically recyclable, but if only 12% of local waste programs in the US actually accept it, the real-world recycling rate tells a very different story.

With EPR regulations launching in Oregon, California, and Colorado, this gap between theoretical and actual recyclability was about to become a direct cost to the business. Oddisea's retail customers were also asking harder questions about the environmental impact of the packaging they were putting on shelves. The team needed real data — fast.

How Scrapp turned packaging complexity into clear action

Scrapp's approach started where most assessments stop: at the end market. Rather than reviewing Oddisea's packaging against material databases, Scrapp analyzed what actually happens to each format once it enters the waste stream across the US — drawing on end-market data from tens of thousands of waste programs.

The team worked closely with Oddisea to carry out a comprehensive waste footprint analysis covering their full product line. Key workstreams included:

• End-market waste footprint analysis of every product, comparing theoretical recyclability against practical recycling rates and infrastructure accessibility across the US
• Infrastructure optimization recommendations identifying where specific packaging format swaps could dramatically improve recycling outcomes without changing product quality
• EPR compliance preparation organizing and streamlining the data Oddisea would need for producer responsibility reporting in multiple US states
• GS1-compliant data tracking at the GTIN level, ensuring interoperability with the rest of the supply chain for inflows and outflows of packaging waste
• Sustainable packaging benchmarking comparing Oddisea's packaging against traditional seafood industry formats to quantify the impact of changes already made
• Custom co-branded report built for internal stakeholders and retail partners, giving the team a credible asset to communicate their packaging strategy

The analysis revealed that while much of Oddisea's packaging was technically recyclable, actual recycling rates were significantly lower due to contamination, infrastructure limitations, and the low secondary material value of multi-layer films. These weren't problems Oddisea could fix alone — but they were problems they could now see clearly, measure, and plan around?

What the data revealed

The numbers told a story the team hadn't been able to see before:

• Polyethylene-coated trays accounted for 10.5% of Oddisea's total waste footprint — a disproportionate impact from a single format
• 54% recyclability improvement was achievable by shifting those trays to uncoated compostable alternatives
• 37% reduction in landfill waste was possible through targeted material transitions across the product line
• Full EPR compliance readiness was established, with automated reporting capabilities mapped to current and upcoming state regulations

These weren't hypothetical projections. They were based on real infrastructure data — what waste programs across the US actually accept, process, and recover — giving Oddisea a roadmap they could act on with confidence.

Why this matters beyond the balance sheet

The economic case is compelling on its own. EPR fees are coming, and brands that can demonstrate lower environmental impact will pay less. Retail buyers increasingly factor sustainability credentials into purchasing decisions — and having verified data, not just claims, is what separates a credible brand from a greenwashing risk.

But the environmental reality is what makes this work urgent. Seafood packaging enters the waste stream at massive scale. Multi-layer films that can't be recycled end up in landfill, where they persist for centuries. When packaging is contaminated or incorrectly sorted — because consumers don't know what their local program accepts — it drags otherwise recyclable material to landfill with it.

By mapping the gap between theoretical and practical recyclability, Oddisea can now make packaging decisions that account for what actually happens on the ground. That's the difference between sustainability as a marketing message and sustainability as an operational strategy.

The findings also have industry-wide implications. The seafood sector faces unique packaging constraints — cold chain requirements, food safety regulations, and fragile product formats — that make generic sustainability advice largely useless. Oddisea's data provides a category-specific benchmark that other seafood brands can learn from.

You can see the full impact of Oddisea's sustainability efforts in their 2024 impact report — find Scrapp's contribution on page 18.

What's next for Oddisea and Scrapp

With the baseline established, Oddisea is now positioned to track packaging improvements over time, measure the real-world impact of material swaps, and report against EPR requirements as they roll out state by state. The partnership continues with ongoing data updates and packaging strategy support as the regulatory landscape evolves.

Ready to map your packaging waste footprint?

If you're a brand or retailer looking to understand the true end-of-life impact of your product packaging — not just the theoretical recyclability — book a 15-minute call with the Scrapp team.

Check out how other brands are using waste data to make smarter packaging decisions: Beech-Nut | Sunrays | Avon

Or explore Scrapp's industry reports to see the data behind the decisions.