Pack Declare vs. Recyda: Enterprise FMCG or SMB E-commerce?

Recyda is one of the most recognisable names in EU packaging sustainability software. They raised a €6.3M Series A in October 2024 (led by Cusp Capital) on the back of a customer roster that includes KAO, Beiersdorf, DMK, Trolli, and adapa. Their platform is built around recyclability assessment across 20+ country-specific rulesets, with EPR fee calculation layered on top.

Pack Declare is a different product for a different customer. We serve e-commerce SMBs selling on Shopify, WooCommerce, and Amazon who need PPWR declarations across 8 EU countries without the price tag or implementation cost of an enterprise tool.

This article lays out who fits where — honestly, because funnelling the wrong customer into either product wastes months.

The 30-second verdict

• Recyda wins when your organisation is a mid-to-large FMCG brand (or their supplier) that needs recyclability grading at packaging-portfolio scale, with ERP / PLM integration and a sustainability team. Pricing is custom and typically lands in five-figure-EUR territory.
• Pack Declare wins when you're an e-commerce brand selling to the EU on Shopify / WooCommerce / Amazon, with 1–20 people and no dedicated compliance function. Pricing is €0 Free or €199/month Growth.

Side-by-side

Where Recyda is genuinely better

Let's not dance around it: Recyda has been the market leader in recyclability scoring for several years, and the product shows it. Specific things they do better than Pack Declare:

• Country-specific recyclability rulesets at depth. Recyda works directly with the APR Design Guide and country-level design-for-recyclability guides. Our grades are directionally correct; theirs are industry-referenced.
• Packaging portfolio analytics at scale. When you're KAO with 5,000+ SKUs and 30 countries, Recyda's portfolio dashboard becomes essential. Pack Declare's UI is designed for 50–2,000 SKUs, not 50,000.
• ERP / PLM integration out of the box. Recyda plugs into SAP and PLM systems as a first-class input. Pack Declare supports API + CSV import but we aren't an enterprise-integration tool.
• Sustainability consultation. Recyda's team includes packaging scientists who can advise on material swaps. We're pure SaaS — no consultation service.

Where Pack Declare is a better fit

Different customer, different product. We win when you:

• Sell on Shopify, WooCommerce, or Amazon. We have native OAuth connectors for all three. Recyda has none — you'd be uploading CSVs.
• Need declaration packs, not just reports. Recyda produces beautiful analytics; Pack Declare produces the exact CSV that ECOEMBES, CITEO, LUCID, CONAI, SPV, Afvalfonds, Fost Plus, and ARA accept for upload. You upload, you're done.
• Start for free. Recyda has no free tier. Pack Declare's Free plan includes one declaration pack per calendar year — enough to run a full cycle without paying anything.
• Have < €10M revenue. Recyda's pricing is calibrated for mid-market and enterprise. Pack Declare at €199/month is a credit-card purchase.
• Want to ship in days, not months. Pack Declare is 30 minutes from signup to first pack. Recyda implementation is typically a multi-week project.

What about the 20+ countries thing?

Recyda rightly boasts recyclability rulesets across 20+ countries. Pack Declare currently generates declaration packs for 8 EU countries (with Poland, Sweden, Denmark in development for Q3 2026). For most e-commerce SMBs, 8 covers 90%+ of real EU volume — those are the countries with mature PRO systems and strict enforcement.

If you sell to 15+ EU countries today, Pack Declare isn't the right tool yet. Consider Recyda, or PCX Markets for their 49-market global coverage.

Recyda is coming downmarket. Here's what to watch.

The €6.3M Series A (led by Cusp Capital, with Speedinvest continuing) is almost certainly funding international expansion and a move into mid-market SMB. Recyda's founders have said publicly that customer expansion is a priority. Over the next 12–24 months it's plausible that Recyda launches a lower-cost tier aimed at brands smaller than their current FMCG base.

What we'd tell you if you're evaluating both today:

• If Recyda currently requires an annual contract in the 5-figures and you're an SMB, that's not a good fit regardless of where they're headed. Start with Pack Declare; revisit Recyda when you outgrow us.
• If Recyda releases a €500-1,000/month tier in the next year, that puts them into competitive range with Pack Declare Growth. Worth reassessing at that point.
• Either way, don't wait for Recyda's SMB tier to start preparing for PPWR. August 12, 2026 is a hard deadline. Pack Declare Free is available today.

Who shouldn't use either

If you're a packaging manufacturer (producing packaging for other brands to use), you want Packa instead — they're built for that workflow, with SAP integration and procurement-cost optimisation. Neither Recyda nor Pack Declare is designed around that buyer.

If you're a small brand on one country and one channel, Pack Declare Free is probably enough — you may not even need Growth yet. Recyda would be overkill.

If you're an importer / distributor with heavy DoC-collection workflow, consider Coolset or Osapiens — they're built around that workflow.

The bottom line

Recyda is a great product for FMCG brands with thousands of SKUs and a sustainability team. Pack Declare is a great product for Shopify merchants with hundreds of SKUs and a part-time compliance person. Both are earnest tools, just built for different shapes of company.

Pick the one whose ICP description matches your company shape today — not the one that sounds more impressive.

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