Case studies
06.03.2022
40,000 products
from over
300 suppliers
A complex process—simplified!
The challenge
The retail industry is all about selling a multitude of products from a variety of suppliers under the same banner established throughout the province, and also elsewhere in Canada. This creates a major challenge when it comes time to fill out sales reports for declaring containers, packaging, and printed materials brought to market during the year.
Here is a concrete example of how complicated the process can be:
One of our clients, a retailer, sells more than 40,000 different products from at least 300 suppliers. Some of the suppliers have locations in several provinces, some do not. To be compliant, the business must file precise CP&PM declara-tions with two organizations covering several Canadian provinces: the Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA) and Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ). It must also compile and analyze the data to make sure it does not overestimate the eco-fees it needs to pay.
The solution
We've developed a unique internal tool to meet this type of challenge: Steward6. This eco-fee management system can easily be adapted to different realities, sectors and clienteles. Drawing on our expertise and this high-tech tool, we have succeeded in simplifying the eco-fee reporting process. To support the abovementioned retailer, we developed and implemented a personalized module for communicating with suppliers. This makes it easy to:
- Identify which supplier declares in which province;
- Get information on the PPP the suppliers use for the products the retailer sells;
- Conduct regular monitoring;
- Complete the company’s database;
- Cross-check and analyze the data re-ceived;
- Develop a suitable, accurate calculation methodology to produce reports on the PPP the retailer is responsible for;
- File reports in the Canadian provinces that require it.
"Thanks to software solution, the above client has gone from a complex, difficult process to a simple one that minimizes the risk of errors and confusion, even with a growing number of products and suppliers."
04.21.2022
Baffling discrepancies
Expertise that pays!
The challenge
Each year, businesses that are subject to an ex-tended producer responsibility (EPR) program covering containers, Printed Paper and Packaging (PPP) must comply with the regulations and report the weight of the PPP they put on the market.
However, the scheduled reporting periods and occasional amendments to the regulations do not always match up.Because of this lag, businesses have the additional, laborious task of relearning every year how to fill out the reports for their annual declarations.
This often leads to the discovery of baffling discrepancies when comparing data from year to year. Businesses need to be very familiar with the previous and current versions of the regulations to find the exact cause of the problem and fix it. They also need sufficient time to conduct research, analyze the data and correct these discrepancies in order to file precise, compliant reports.
The solution
To help businesses comply with the regulations and make accurate declarations, we carefully analyze reports to check for any potential mistakes. This can be very advantageous for companies. For example, while analyzing one of our clients' data, we discovered that they overpaid by $200,000 due to a simple data entry error. Instead of using a unit quantity for a product, their Excel file applied a formula that multiplied the amount by 24.
Thanks to our experience and expertise, we were able to quickly spot the mistake. We took steps to correct the previously submitted reports and obtained a credit for the client in the amount they overpaid. This is now a recurring savings for that business!
" An overpaid of $200,000
due to a simple data entry error"
04.20.2022
Compensation for curbside recycling paid by businesses
Complicated reporting process for a food retailer
The challenge
First, it should be specified that curbside recycling compensation programs only require that applicable businesses declare the containers, packaging and printed matter that are destined for “residential” clients. That said, many businesses, to simplify the reporting process and save time, declare the packaging for all of the products they put on the market, not subtracting that used for non-residential purposes. So, while they may be saving time, they are unnecessarily paying larger contributions to the approved organizations.
The solution
Here is a real-life example. A retailer asked us if there was a way to lower his eco-fee bill, which he found to be quite high. Wanting to save time, he had simply declared all of the containers, packaging and printed matter he had purchased from his suppliers, not only those he was required to. In light of this, we developed a methodology, conducted a characterization study as well as an internal investigation to calculate the containers, packaging and printed matter used exclusively at the store and by his commercial clients. We then subtracted these amounts from the initial report, which lowered the retailer’s financial contribution to Éco Entre-prises Québec.
