Case study
Delivering EPR compliance for a complex SKU portfolio
Andis, a leading manufacturer of grooming tools and personal care products, needed to comply with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reporting in Oregon. With limited time and no clear path forward, they partnered with Unpac to save the team weeks of manual work and associated cost.
Overview
Unpac’s software platform extracted around 80% of the required data from existing documentation, identified missing elements, and facilitated efficient data gap-filling with dynamic tools. That gave Andis a single source of truth that made submitting an accurate EPR report easy, while establishing a scalable foundation for ongoing, repeatable compliance.
The challenge
Megan Lalanne, Packaging Engineer IV at Andis, led the reporting effort for their complex SKU portfolio but lacked the time, structure and visibility needed as the deadline approached.
Key blockers
- Disconnected data scattered across departments, formats and supplier channels.
- No single source of truth: information lived across ever-evolving and therefore inconsistent files.
- Missing relationships between finished goods and packaging component data.
- No internal structured process or bandwidth to manually clean and reconcile data.
The solution
To solve these challenges, Megan knew she needed to leverage technology to meet their immediate compliance deadline and set the company up for long-term success. Andis turned to Unpac, a platform purpose-built for packaging data collection in the EPR landscape, to deliver both their Oregon EPR report and create a centralized understanding of their packaging data.
Unpac is designed to collect, standardize and validate packaging information at scale, enabling fast, accurate submissions and long-term reusability. The engagement was led by Andis’ packaging team in close collaboration with Unpac’s implementation leads.
The solution included
- Automated data extraction and conversion
- Unpac processed thousands of packaging data files across diverse formats, converting disjointed inputs into a single source of truth.
- Error reduction and validation
- The platform flagged gaps and inconsistencies, clearly indicating which fields were complete, missing or indeterminate.
- Simple, collaborative workflows
- A drag-and-drop portal and dynamic tools allowed internal and external stakeholders to contribute data easily without needing packaging expertise.
- Compliance-ready outputs
- Data was formatted to meet the Circular Action Alliance requirements for Oregon EPR reporting and made available for ongoing analysis, reporting and decision-making.
The outcome was more than a submission, it was a system. With Unpac, Andis moved from scattered data to clarity and control, unlocking ongoing value from previously undefined packaging records.
The results
The partnership between Andis and Unpac resulted in a transformative shift, moving Andis from a state of data disarray to a highly accurate EPR submission in under a month. The process created structure and visibility, defining capabilities that are now reusable for future compliance reporting cycles and can assist in broader business decisions.
Automated data collection
82% of required data was automatically extracted from existing, messy documentation.
“I was surprised how much Unpac was able to pull from the information provided up front.”
Unmatched accuracy
Automated validation and gap analysis flagged missing and conflicting fields and guided Andis through focused follow-ups with internal teams and suppliers.
“It was hard to understand how much data I had. So I did not know how much I was missing.”
Visibility and insight
A single source of truth visualized data completeness at both macro and granular levels via dashboards and a centralized database.
“I better understand what our benchmark is with a level of data driven detail, within an easily understood format.”
Significant efficiency and cost savings
Weeks of manual work were reduced to a few hours, eliminating the need to overwhelm internal resources or hire costly external resources.
Compliant data foundation
Andis now has an accurate, centralized, component-level source of truth that supports future reporting and sustainability initiatives.
“Unpac has given me a helpful structure for continuing to gather this data going forward. Now we have a documented way to improve and set goals with our data, whether that is redefining materials, calculating weight reductions or measuring our sustainability progress.”
The future
Andis is now preparing to use Unpac for its upcoming Colorado EPR submission and sees the platform as a long-term asset for sustainability and data transparency.
“Unpac is coming up with something that the industry needs… The longer someone interacts with Unpac, the more they understand the value.”
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