Circular Economy Systems (CES)

Name

Circular Economy Systems (CES)

Legal name

Circular Economy Systems Pty Limited

Website

https://circulareconomysystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Container Deposit Scheme Software

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

akta.pro primary industry

Reusable Packaging & Refill Systems (Returnable Transport Items, Deposit/DRS Ops) (EUAIANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA) (EUAIANAH), Order-to-Cash (O2C) Operations (Order Admin, Credit, Invoicing, Collections Handoff) (BPAAAGAK), Trade Finance & Supply Chain Finance Platforms (FSAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Container deposit schemes
• Recycling payment technology
• Deposit return schemes
• Producer responsibility organizations
• Reverse supply chain software

Headquarters

HQ city

Potts Point

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing and SaaS Services: Purpose-built software and services for Container Deposit Schemes, processing millions of payments each month. Revenue derived from licensing proprietary recycling payment technology to scheme operators.
2. Professional Services: Specialized services spanning IT, accounting and payments, digital and brand marketing, material sales, and customer service divisions designed to support and expand upon the core operational capabilities of Container Deposit Schemes.
3. Transaction Processing Fees: Payment processing for container refunds and commercial transactions between scheme participants. The platform handles consumer refunds as low as 10 cents up to complex commercial partner payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Circular Economy Systems provides a purpose-built SaaS platform for Container Return/Deposit Return Schemes (CRS/DRS) that processes millions of payment transactions monthly, tracks over 2 billion container movements through the reverse supply chain, and delivers precise reporting for scheme governance. The company also offers professional services spanning finance, payments, customer service, materials sales, and marketing to support scheme coordinators and network operators.

Product overview

Circular Economy Systems (formerly Container Exchange Services) offers an integrated SaaS platform for Container Deposit/Return Schemes (CDS/DRS), comprising a core Recycling Payments Technology Platform that processes millions of transactions monthly and tracks over 2 billion container movements. The platform integrates five specialized service modules: SaaS & IT Services (purpose-built for PROs with secure portals, APIs, and reporting tools), Finance & Payments Services (handling customer returns and business payments with 99.9% accuracy), Customer Service Solutions (contact centre and technical support), Material Sales Services (materials tracking and auction), and Marketing Services (scheme launch support). Together these products enable scheme coordinators to manage the full lifecycle of beverage container recycling from return to recycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recycling Payments Technology Platform Purpose-built SaaS platform for Container Return/Deposit Return Schemes that processes millions of payment transactions monthly, tracks over 2 billion container movements through the reverse supply chain, and delivers precise reporting for scheme governance and integrity verification. Used by Scheme Coordinators (PROs) and Network Operators.
• Finance & Payments Services Specialized financial systems with enhanced governance that process customer returns, handle business payment processes, and mitigate scheme fraud. Delivers payments with 99.9% accuracy and has facilitated more than A$1 billion in refunds for Container Deposit Scheme operators.
• Customer Service Solutions Contact centre and technical support services designed for recycling schemes, supporting scheme coordinators and network operators through the full lifecycle from start-up to scale-up and ongoing operations.
• Material Sales Services Materials tracking and auction services that manage the flow of recycled materials from collection through processing, supporting clean recycling streams that maximize materials returning to manufacturing.
• Marketing Services Scheme launch marketing services to support successful Container Deposit Scheme rollouts, including brand marketing and digital marketing support for scheme coordinators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 billion containers processed since inception
• +6 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scheme Coordinators / PROscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with government-accredited Producer Responsibility Organisations who hold long-term agreements to run Container Deposit Schemes. CES provides purpose-built software and services to support scheme governance, operations, and compliance.
• Network OperatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with expert businesses in collection and processing of materials. Network Operators manage refund points including reverse vending machines, depots and the collection and processing of materials through their facilities. CES provides integration and operational support services.
• Valued Partners (General)minorOthersGeneral ecosystem of partners including logistics providers, recycling facilities, manufacturers, and scheme participants that interact with CES systems for transaction processing and materials tracking.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TOMRA: Global leader in reverse vending machines and collection technology for beverage container deposit/return schemes. TOMRA competes with CES by offering both hardware and increasingly the software/data layer that PROs and scheme operators require, making it the closest comparable in DRS technology.
• S&D Engineering: UK manufacturer and integrator of reverse vending machines and associated DRS technology infrastructure. Comparable to CES as a niche DRS technology provider supplying collection hardware and integration services to scheme operators.
• Envirotec: UK-based provider of reverse vending machines and DRS scheme solutions, with comparable software, integration, and operational support offerings for scheme operators and retailers in Europe. Directly comparable as a DRS-focused technology provider.

Others

• Anthesis Group: Global sustainability and circular economy consultancy offering EPR scheme design, materials management, and circularity advisory services. Overlaps with CES in the advisory layer that supports PROs and government scheme design decisions.
• Eunomia Research & Consulting: Environmental consulting firm specialising in Extended Producer Responsibility, DRS design, and circular economy program advisory. Eunomia competes for the consulting and program design mandates that sit adjacent to CES's operational software business.
• Closed Loop Partners: Circular economy investment and operating platform building recycling infrastructure and packaging circularity ventures in North America. Comparable as a thematically aligned player in the circular economy and DRS investment ecosystem that competes for partnerships with PROs and brand owners.

Regional players

• Svensk Returpack: Swedish Deposit Return Scheme operator that runs the country's beverage container recycling system using its own technology and partner infrastructure. Comparable to CES as a national DRS scheme operator, although it uses proprietary rather than licensed CES technology.
• Re-turn: Operator of Ireland's national Deposit Return Scheme, providing collection network management, payments, and scheme administration. Comparable as a DRS scheme operator, although as a not-for-profit scheme administrator rather than a technology vendor.
• Return-It: British Columbia's regulated beverage container recycling scheme operator managing collection points and refunds. Comparable as a regional DRS scheme operator but operates its own technology rather than licensing CES-style infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Reloop Platform: International circular economy and DRS-focused policy and data organisation. Reloop intersects with CES through DRS scheme advocacy, performance benchmarking, and data services, increasingly competing for the analytics and advisory layer of scheme operators.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circulareconomysystems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Circular Economy Systems (CES)