The team conducted around thirty interviews with municipalities, sorting centers, recyclers, packaging producers, retailers, consulting firms, and certification bodies. The field immersion revealed a value chain that is essential to the circular economy, yet highly fragmented. Local practices differ, quality thresholds vary, tools are inconsistent, and the work is demanding but often undervalued. For many stakeholders, traceability is reduced to a set of documents to be checked, seen as an administrative burden with no operational value. Data does not circulate effectively and does not reflect the real flow of materials or the successive interventions of the actors. This makes it difficult to assess quality or identify material losses within a bale. Everyone acts within their own scope, without an overall view and without a real understanding of each other’s roles.
The study highlighted a major blind spot: each local decision directly affects other parts of the chain, yet this interdependence remained invisible. By making these links understandable and shared, the work initiated a first dynamic of trust and established a common language.