Returpack reports increased DRS activity in Sweden

Norrköping, Sweden-based Pantamera, operator of the Returpack AB beverage container deposit-return system (DRS) in that nation, says the national program set a new record last year by handling 2.8 billion beverage containers for recycling in 2024.

The figure of more than 2.8 billion PET plastic bottles and aluminum cans returned in 2024 represented an increase of almost 6 percent compared with the previous year, says Pantamera, and means the average person in Sweden recycled 271 such containers in 2024.

The Swedish DRS operator says the country’s system contributed to preventing more than 180,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions last year, which Pantamera calls “equivalent to a full year’s emissions from a medium-sized Swedish city.”

“In the DRS, PET bottles and aluminum cans stay in a closed recycling loop, which is crucial for achieving true circularity,” says Sara Bergendorff, head of sustainability and quality at Returpack/Pantamera.

“We often call bottle and can recycling Sweden’s smallest climate action, because everyone can contribute to the environment and climate simply by returning their containers instead of throwing them away or placing them in the regular recycling,” adds Bergendorff.

Pantamera says Sweden’s DRS has been built through 40 years of collaboration between beverage producers, retailers and household consumers. “The system’s high return rates and strict quality control make it a model for other countries looking to improve recycling infrastructure and minimize waste,” states the privately owned company.

In 2024, Sweden’s bottle and can return rate reached 87.6 percent, says Pantamera, which it calls just short of a 90 percent target. A deposit per container price increase announced this January has been designed “to further push recycling rates while reinforcing the importance of returning every bottle and can,” states Pantamera.