According to the latest information provided by RetuRO, the company that administers the return guarantee system, consumers returned approximately 5 million SGR packages in the first two weeks of February. If we add these to the previous reports from December and January, we now have about 7.3 million packages removed from the market.

The evolution is impressive and significant. Monthly SGR jumped from 31,000 parcels returned in December 2023 to 2.24 million in January and more than doubled in the first two weeks of February. And we are talking only about those collected through RVM, in February. In two and a half months, we’ve seen a 162x increase in recycling rates through SGR.

This testifies to the quick and effective adoption of the system by consumers and strong cooperation on the part of manufacturers; we are talking about a significant impact of the guarantee-return system in a very short time.

Secondly, thanks to SGR, the information is now public, transparent, and we can evaluate and analyze it. We are less than three months away from the implementation of the warranty return system, but we already know how many SGR packages have been released by manufacturers and how many consumers have returned. The progress is obvious. If approximately 45 million SGR packages appeared in December, their number increased fourfold in January, reaching just under 180 million packages placed on the Romanian market.

Of course, placing a package on the market does not necessarily mean presence on the shelf, as many products are still in the warehouses of distributors or retailers. They will gradually be released for sale as the stocks of products in non-SGR packaging are exhausted. According to estimates provided by the Environment Minister, it takes about four months for the package to return to the system. From July 1, 2024, only packaging marked with the “Warranty packaging” logo will be on the shelves, which can be returned through the warranty return system, manually or through RVM.

In the absence of such data, try to imagine and calculate the impact of packaging collection systems before the launch of the Return Guarantee System. Almost impossible in the absence of public information, because the habit of transparent reporting began with the Guarantee-Return System.

7.3 million 1000 bags of SGR packaging is it a lot or a little?!

To have an objective assessment of these data, let’s look at the beginning of similar systems recently launched in Europe.

Slovakia has defined a packaging collection strategy with an emphasis on a return guarantee system only for PET and metal and aluminum cans. Similar to Lithuania and Estonia, the guarantee-return system in Slovakia was designed to work alongside separate collection, a system that has been in place and used for a long time.

The Slovak return and guarantee system was launched on January 1, 2022. The immediate goal was to collect at least 60% of the packaging placed on the market by the end of 2022.

Similar to the launch of SGR in Romania, Slovakia also recorded low packaging collection in the first month of implementation. In January 2022, the levy was 0.6%, but by the end of the year it had reached 70% of the levy on packaging that entered the market (only PET and doses). However, it should be noted that in Slovakia, the PET collection rate through the separate collection system was already 62%, even before the system was launched. In Romania, statistics show that we are 10 percent lower. The Slovak Institute for Environmental Policy estimates that approximately 1.35 billion PET packaging and beverage cans enter their market annually. Romania has a sales potential of about 6 times higher (7 billion packages).

Latvia, starting February 1, 2022, began using a collection system for beverage packaging, which is managed by a private company that unites large domestic beverage manufacturers and retailers. In the first three weeks, Latvians returned about 40,000 packages, after a month they had about 100,000 returned packages, but after 6 months they achieved a PET packaging collection rate of 54%. After two years of operation of the system, Latvia has reached an overall collection rate of 80%.

Hungary is one of the countries that this year introduced a beverage packaging return system similar to the one in Romania. The first month of work also encountered problems. Consumers say they haven’t heard of the system, don’t see the symbol on the packaging, or look for it to find out which containers they can renew their warranty on. Some contact store employees directly asking which containers can be returned.

Beverage manufacturers are touting the short time they have had to label the package, and retailers have not yet set up their machines to recognize all warranty packages. And with them, there is a transitional period, until June 30, 2024, in which packages both without a guarantee and with a guarantee are present on the shelf. Hungary estimates the market to be around 3.5 billion returnable packaging annually, half of Romania’s. Their goal is to increase packaging collection from 40% to 90% within the next 3 years.

There is no doubt that returnable packaging systems are present in an increasing number of European countries, and the main reasons for their implementation are the success they have achieved in meeting country-level recycling targets and the efficient way they can be scaled up. the responsibility of the manufacturers it represents. At the moment, the return guarantee system is implemented in 41 countries of the world – 15 European countries – the latest examples are Hungary and Ireland, in 2024.

Despite the obvious progress in the collection and recycling of packaging, it is important to recognize and assess the degree of public involvement in such initiatives. Implementation of a new system may take time to be widely understood and accepted. Encouraging and motivating people to actively participate in the process of returning and recycling packaging requires patience and ongoing education. While short-term results may not necessarily be significant, it is extremely important to focus on long-term development and recognize that sustainable change takes time and effort. Through continued education and awareness, we can expect to see greater participation and positive impact from the Return and Warranty System over time.

Article supported by RetuRO