Scrapp’s Formula for a Circular Future

Two-thirds of recyclable waste still goes to landfills

Despite widespread good intentions, recycling remains a complex and often frustrating process. Rules differ from town to town, packaging labels are inconsistent, and the rise of biodegradable and compostable materials has added new layers of confusion. 

As Scrapp’s Co-Founder and CEO, Evan Gwynne Davies, explains:

“At its core, the challenge comes down to a lack of information and a lack of trust in the system. People want to do the right thing but often feel their effort won’t make a difference.”

Scrapp set out to solve this problem with its app, offering real-time, location-based disposal guidance for any waste item, anywhere in the world.

The Challenge of Engagement

In early testing, Scrapp gamified recycling through rewards: users earned points for scanning items and could redeem them for free products. Surprisingly, 96% of users chose to donate their points to charity instead of claiming product rewards for themselves.

This revealed a powerful insight—altruism, not material gain, was the true motivator for engagement.

The Missing Link: Partnership with Plastic Bank

To harness this altruism, Scrapp needed a partner that could connect individual recycling actions to tangible, global impact. Plastic Bank stood out immediately.

Scrapp integrated Plastic Bank directly into its app experience:

• 5 bottles removed for every new product added to the app
• 1 bottle removed for every scan or search made by users

This simple mechanism creates what Scrapp’s CEO called the “1+1=3 effect”, a single good deed sparking another, multiplying the overall impact.

By combining guidance with action, the collaboration ensures that every recycling step not only diverts waste correctly but also contributes to removing plastic from the environment, making recycling both easy and meaningful.

Advice for Gaining Buy-In for Sustainability Initiatives

For companies beginning their sustainability journey, Evan emphasizes the importance of meeting stakeholders where they are. Too often, businesses get lost in sustainability jargon, metrics like CO₂ equivalents or abstract targets that don’t resonate with decision-makers. Instead, he advises framing sustainability in the language of the business itself.

That means talking about efficiency, time, and cost savings—the things that drive daily operations. For example, switching to more sustainable packaging can also streamline supply chain data management or reduce operational costs. When sustainability is shown to improve efficiency, leaders see it as a business advantage rather than an optional initiative. As Evan puts it:

“Don’t speak the language of sustainability—speak the language of business. Tie initiatives to efficiency, time, and cost savings. That’s how you get buy-in and scale impact.”

By focusing on practical outcomes, sustainability becomes more than a side project. It becomes a core driver of growth, innovation, and long-term value.