Building a Compliant B2B Marketplace for Organic Waste Trading
A European platform connecting producers of agricultural, livestock, and food-processing waste with the facilities that treat it, replacing fragmented phone and email inquiries with a unified marketplace where classification, payment, and fulfilment happen in one place.
Every listing on the platform is classified against the official European Waste Catalogue (LER/EWC) codes before it can be traded. This turns regulatory requirements into a structured, searchable catalogue so buyers and sellers can transact with clear records of waste specifications, volumes, and commercial terms.
- Industry
- Circular Economy / Waste Logistics
- Technology
- Next.js · Medusa · PostgreSQL
- Market
- European Union · B2B
- Role
- End-to-End Engineering Partner
Business Objective
Key strategic objectives defined for the platform launch:
- 1Digitize fragmented offline waste trading into a centralized, transparent B2B marketplace
- 2Embed European Waste Catalogue (LER/EWC) regulatory standards natively into listings
- 3Support flexible B2B settlements: instant card checkout, bank wire, and delivery terms
- 4Automate dynamic freight calculation and mandatory commercial counterparty verification
Key Challenges
Organic waste trading in Europe involves strict environmental regulations combined with traditional, offline trading habits, creating specific engineering and operational hurdles.
Fragmented Supply Discovery
Buyers previously lacked a centralized directory to search and compare waste streams across certified producers, leaving sourcing dependent on personal contacts.
Unstructured Regulatory Data
Waste specifications and LER/EWC codes were handled informally, creating audit vulnerabilities and potential compliance liabilities.
Diverse Commercial Terms
Industrial procurement required flexible settlement—ranging from immediate card checkout to automated bank wire and on-delivery settlement.
High Operational Reliability
Continuous trading demanded a resilient architecture with zero-downtime releases and automated schema migrations.
Our Solution
We engineered the platform around real-world industrial waste trading workflows. Starting with a strict catalogue schema grounded in LER/EWC standards, we layered transactional commerce, account verification, and back-office management tools on top of Medusa v2 and Next.js.
Core Solution Highlights
- Tailored commerce backend on Medusa v2 with native EU LER/EWC regulatory compliance
- Multi-channel settlement engine supporting Stripe, automated bank transfer, and COD
- Dynamic freight calculation and quote negotiation workflows for bulk volume orders
- Strict API-level commercial account verification ensuring vetted-only counterparties
- Multilingual storefront with localized catalog data, invoices, and automated communications
Platform Architecture & Technology
A modular commerce architecture built on Medusa v2 and Next.js. The waste classification hierarchy serves as the core domain model, supporting progressive expansion from initial categories to detailed 6-digit European Waste Catalogue codes.
Data Foundation
Waste Catalogue & Classification
- Structured listings mapped to EU LER/EWC waste codes across agricultural and industrial streams
- Faceted catalog search filtering by waste category, certifications, and technical attributes
- Extensible taxonomy supporting granular 6-digit European Waste Catalogue classifications
Commerce Engine
Checkout & Payment Orchestration
- Integrated Stripe checkout flow for instant commercial card payments
- Automated bank wire generation with unique reconciliation references per order
- Automated country-specific EU VAT calculations for cross-border transactions
Operations & Security
Order Lifecycle & Trust
- End-to-end order status tracking synchronizing Medusa fulfilment with buyer portals
- Strict API-level commercial account authorization enforcing verified-only trading
- Automated transactional notification engine for dispatch, delivery, and invoice delivery
Producers & Buyers
Waste Catalogue
Commerce Engine
Reliability
Producers & Buyers
Waste Catalogue
Commerce Engine
Reliability
Technology & Capabilities
A modular, extensible technology stack selected to support high-reliability B2B commerce, complex classification schemas, and multi-country operation.
Commerce Backend
Medusa v2
- Custom LER/EWC waste classification data schema
- Multi-provider payments (Stripe, Wire, COD)
- B2B quote requests & order state machine
Storefront
Next.js
- Faceted waste stream catalog search & filters
- Real-time freight volume & transport calculator
- Multilingual localized storefront & communications
Data & Storage
PostgreSQL
- PostgreSQL with automated schema migrations
- Secure object storage for compliance documents
- Winston structured logging & Sentry monitoring
Delivery Pipeline
GitHub Actions CI/CD
- Staged environments with 2-person approval gates
- Pre-release database migrations & zero downtime
- Scheduled automated independent backups
Key Features
Practical tools designed for producers, transport partners, and treatment facilities to discover, verify, and complete waste transactions compliantly.
LER/EWC Classification Engine
Listings are mapped directly to the European Waste Catalogue, embedding statutory waste codes, hazardous flags, and compliance documentation into every transaction.
Faceted Stream Discovery
High-speed filtering allows industrial processors to discover waste streams by EWC code, moisture and purity levels, availability status, and transit radius.
Dynamic Freight & Transport Engine
Calculates real-time haulage costs based on required tonnage and vehicle specs (tippers, walking floors, tankers), providing transparent totals before checkout.
Tri-Method B2B Settlement
Integrated payment orchestration supporting instant corporate Stripe payments, automated SEPA/wire instructions with reconciliation refs, and Cash on Delivery.
Custom Volume Quotes & RFPs
Dedicated workflow for high-tonnage multi-truck consignments, allowing buyers and platform operations to negotiate tiered pricing and haulage schedules directly.
Commercial Account Verification
Enforces API-level business verification, tax identification validation, and license checks, ensuring only legally certified entities execute orders.
Buyer & Seller Experience
A marketplace where compliance and commerce happen in the same flow
Producers list waste streams with verified specifications while buyers browse, calculate transport options, and purchase using their preferred settlement method.
- Producers create listings with LER/EWC codes, quantities, locations, and technical specifications
- Buyers filter by waste category, location, and specification to find matching streams
- Checkout supports card, bank transfer, or cash on delivery, alongside custom quote requests
- Both sides receive automatic email updates at every order lifecycle event in their active language
- Order status tracking and downloadable PDF invoices available directly in the user portal
User Experience & Design Approach
The interface is tailored for industrial processors and waste producers, prioritizing regulatory clarity, straightforward navigation, and efficient deal execution.
- Waste classification codes are positioned prominently on every listing card and detail page, giving buyers immediate visibility into compliance details
- Flexible settlement options adapt to buyer workflows, offering card checkout, bank transfer instructions, cash on delivery, or quote negotiation
- Back-office management tools allow non-technical operations staff to update listings, review user documents, and configure platform content easily
- Email communications provide payment-specific instructions, including IBAN and reference codes for bank transfers or receipt confirmations for cards
- Order progress stages are clearly translated from backend Medusa state transitions into plain business terminology for buyers and haulers
Results & Impact
The platform converted traditional, manual waste broking into a secure digital marketplace where compliance validation and commercial trading work together.
Streamlined Compliance-First Trading: Producers and treatment facilities execute orders with verified LER/EWC regulatory records attached to every consignment.
Automated Multi-Method Settlement: Enabled zero-touch financial reconciliation across Stripe corporate cards, automated SEPA bank wire, and Cash on Delivery.
Faster Volume Quote Turnaround: Automated enterprise quoting pipeline accelerated high-tonnage contract negotiations from multiple days to under 30 minutes.
Zero-Downtime Extensible Architecture: Handled rapid expansion from regional pilots to national operations without database locks or schema refactoring.
Building something with similar moving parts?
Hexagon Infosoft designs and builds production commerce and SaaS platforms end to end, from storefront user experiences to cloud backend architecture. When your project requires custom classification systems, complex B2B payment terms, or regulatory verification, we help build it right from day one.