CIRCULARITY
points . The system covers all beverages including wine and spirits , plastic , glass and aluminium drink containers ranging from 0.1 to 3 litres .
“ The DRS puts in the infrastructure to make it easy for consumers to recycle ,” Gemma says .
“ Our network of retailers then collect the used packaging for us to sort , count and sell to recyclers . This is highly complex as we have to have sorting and counting centres all over the country .”
The DRS in Romania is one of the most intricate packaging recovery systems in the world . It requires the collaboration of 19 million Romanian citizens , 80,000 retailers , 4,000 importers and producers and involves seven billion glass , plastic and aluminium containers . The DRS is expected to manage 5.6 billion containers in 2025 .
The system is mandatory for retailers , importers and producers , but engaging the population with the system is essential .
“ The great thing is that Romanian consumers have taken to it , and they ’ re proud of it ,” Gemma shares . “ This is really good packaging material because it ’ s clean , it ’ s separated into different colours , and it is already back in the system .”
Mircea Fechet , the Minister for the Environment , Waters and Forests was instrumental in setting up the DRS . He says Romanian citizens truly believe in the system : “ They are the ones who make the most effort because they go back to the shops with all the containers . They are the true heroes of the DRS here in Romania .”
“ We are ready to support rolling out similar schemes in other countries , including Austria , Poland and Greece , in 2025 . It is a significant initiative that takes a lot of effort , and for this reason , learning is extremely important ”
MARCEL MARTIN , CHIEF CORPORATE AFFAIRS & SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER , COCA-COLA HBC
52 January 2025