Situation

Impackt started in September 2021 with a simple MVP placed in a HEMA store, then still operating under the name ReAlliance. That first version used Raspberry Pi hardware, a barcode scanner, and a touchscreen to scan packaging and reward consumers.

Shortly after, we began building a fully redesigned consumer-facing application under the name Impackt, aiming to make in-store recycling easy, rewarding, and measurable. In contrast to the national deposit (statiegeld) system for PET bottles, Impackt introduced a reward system for packaging without deposit value, giving fast-moving consumer goods a second life.

Consumers earned Impackt Points for every product returned, which could be exchanged for in-store discounts or redeemed at online partners. All the retuned packages were recycled to granulate by one of our partners.

Challenge

• Incentivise consumers to return packaging to retail stores
• Motivate repeat consumer behaviour in a busy retail setting
• Match scanned products to accurate packaging and material data
• Scale performance and maintain reliability across growing locations

What we did

• Built the MVP from scratch using Raspberry Pi hardware and a custom touchscreen UI
• Migrated the platform to a scalable web stack and backend
• Transitioned from SQL to Neo4j to model product-packaging-material relationships
• Scraped and validated thousands of product records to enable accurate CO₂ tracking
• Designed and built the full frontend, backend, and infrastructure in-house
• Supported multiple pilots and retailer rollouts, including Wibra
• Acted as both technical team and product partner during sales and implementation

Result

• Over 75 retail locations live at peak
• More than 100,000 bottles scanned and recycled
• Real-world consumer engagement with repeat usage
• Set the foundation, in tech, experience, and partnerships, for StatieApp and future reuse systems
• Discontinued commercially due to a mismatch in product–market fit and a viable business case for partners.

Impackt showed what’s possible in retail when loyalty, sustainability, and consumer tech meet, even when the commercial timing wasn't right.