“Through the steps taken in recent years, progress can be seen in the adoption of the circular economy and there are projects implemented in Romania that have potential. I think one thing that unfortunately defines us is to leave things at the level of potential and not take advantage of all opportunities. As a representative of Coca-Cola HBC, I can say that indeed at group level we have some very ambitious goals. We aim to become carbon neutral by 2040. There are targets to which Romania, as a very large and important market in the Coca-Cola group, contributes significantly. That is precisely why we are the third country in the group to simultaneously implement several elements that bring us closer to achieving these goals,” Alice Nichita, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Director, Coca-Cola HBC Romania and president of the National Soft Drinks Association (ANBR) said during Circular Economy Conference organized by Sustainability Today and The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“We all know that the carbon footprint is measured both internally, through direct activity, but much more important is the part of collaboration with suppliers and business partners, and that is where we focus our attention.

As a manufacturer, one of the leading producers of soft drinks, we see that the packaging of our products represents a third of the carbon footprint. That is why it is natural and natural that many of the activities and action proposals we have at the local level are related to the packaging portfolio.

Through an investment in our factory in Ploiesti, an investment in a decontamination line for PET flakes, we can produce rPET resin in-house in the factory in Ploiesti. We all know that rPET resin has 80% less carbon emissions. These are figures based on the calculations of the Ifeu Institute for the Environment and Energy.

The rPET factory and decontamination line is powered by 100% renewable energy. These are actions that we have been planning for many years and which came to fruition with the entry into force of the guarantee-return system.

I want to emphasize that we are working together with RetuRO and the representatives of the authorities to implement a system of access to recycled raw material because it is a primary objective that we started with several years ago.

It is very important to preserve the quality of the recycled material, so that it can be reintroduced into the packaging of the products we put on the market. It is very important to have this circuit closed and to support Romania’s quality recycling industry.

We support a mechanism for access to recycled raw material because it is the industry’s chance to offer consumers a more sustainable alternative and to also ensure a reduction in carbon emissions.

At the level of the National Association of Soft Drinks Producers, we have set ambitious goals in the area of packaging waste management and the use of recycled raw material until 2025. We have assumed a degree of 50% of recycled raw material reintroduced in our product packaging, then 100% recyclability of all packaging placed on the market, and by 2030 we want to reach 90% collection of all packaging placed on the market.

Projects like the deposit-return system take time to reach implementation and then maturity. I think that the industry will be the one to find a solution for the integration of reusable packaging in the DRS system. I think that before we expand the range of packaging, we need to look at how we can make it more efficient and increase the collection rate of those packaging that we put on the market.”