Recycling
What happens to household packaging after it has been collected, what affects recycling and what can you as a producer do to ensure that more packaging is recycled?
How we handle collected packaging
The packaging waste we are responsible for is processed at the sorting and recycling facilities we cooperate with. Our ambition is that they will be recycled to the greatest extent possible.
Collection and handling of materials from households and businesses is done in different ways. Read more about it via the links below.
Explanations of common terms
- Material recycling – Packaging waste is processed so that it can be used as raw material in the production of new packaging or products.
- Circular material recycling – the recycled material maintains a high quality and can be used as raw material in new packaging, over and over again – the circular flow is closed.
- Linear material recycling – the quality of the recycled packaging material is too low to be used as raw material in new packaging. The material is instead used as raw material in other products, and cannot be recycled again. The need for newly produced raw material remains.
- Energy recovery – packaging material cannot be recycled but is incinerated. The need for newly produced raw material remains.
Sorting matters
Advanced sorting results in lower climate impact
In a study, the IVL Swedish Environmental Institute, together with TERRA and Svensk Plaståtervinning, has examined the climate impact of three different ways of recycling plastic packaging.
The results show that energy recovery (without sorting and material recycling) has the greatest climate impact, closely followed by low-quality recycling. High-quality material recycling through advanced sorting, on the other hand, has a significantly lower climate impact.
The better the sorting, the more times the material can be recycled. At Site Zero, plastic packaging is sorted into twelve different fractions.
statistics
Material recycling
The material recycling rate shows how much of the packaging that producers have put on the Swedish market has been material recycled and become new, recycled raw material. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is the authority responsible for national statistics for material recycling of packaging.
Starting in 2024, Näringslivets Producentansvar is responsible for annually reporting information to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency that forms the basis for the authority’s calculations of the recycling rate for various packaging materials in Sweden.
Examples of information that is reported to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency for this are:
- What volumes of different packaging materials our affiliated producers put on the market during the year.
- What volumes of different packaging materials we collected and handled from each municipality during the year.
- What volumes of different packaging materials that have been taken care of through material recycling, energy extraction or otherwise recycled or disposed of.
- If collected packaging has been processed in Sweden or abroad.
Factors affecting material recycling
The packaging waste we receive is transported on to our procured partners and suppliers, who are responsible for the packaging material being recycled as far as possible.
There are several factors that affect the material recycling rate, i.e. how large a percentage of what producers put on the market is recycled.
A prerequisite for the packaging to have a chance to be recycled is that the end user sort the packaging when it has fulfilled its purpose.
The packaging needs to be adapted for material recycling when it comes to, for example, material selection, composition, design and color.
It also needs to be easy for the consumer to empty the packaging of its contents. If it consists of several different types of material, they must be easy to separate for sorting.
Using the national marking with pictograms for sorting also makes it easier for the end user when the packaging is to be sorted at source.
The collected packaging needs to maintain a certain quality so that it can be recycled to a good quality. The possibilities deteriorate if, for example, the material is contaminated, has started to mold or is too mixed with other waste.
Both sorting and recycling facilities have different capacities and different technical conditions for processing and recycling the packaging that is collected. In order to avoid unnecessary transport, we strive to use facilities in Sweden for sorting and recycling, but as this is not always possible, we also collaborate with actors in northern Europe.
In order for a package to be seen as recyclable, there must be a demand on the market to buy and use the recycled raw material.
Everyone needs to contribute to increase material recycling
In order to meet the regulation’s requirements for increased material recycling, it is required that all parties in a packaging’s life cycle fulfill their responsibilities.
Näringslivets Producentansvar
NPA works to achieve Sweden’s goals for material recycling through collaboration with selected suppliers for sorting and recycling the collected material, and through support and advice to our affiliated producers regarding design for recycling.
Producer
In order to increase the material recycling of packaging, it is important that the producer ensures from the outset that their packaging is designed to be material recycled to the greatest extent possible. Feel free to contact our material specialists and use our packaging manuals.
Make it easier for the consumer to sort the packaging correctly, by marking them with the national sorting symbols that are also found on recycling bins.
Contact our material specialists
Read more about labeling and download the pictograms
Consumer
When the packaging has played its role, the consumer has an obligation to sort and return their packaging for recycling. Packaging that is not source-sorted never gets the chance to be recycled.
More people must sort more to bring Sweden closer to the material recycling targets for packaging.
On the sopor.nu site there is information and a sorting guide that consumers can use for questions about source sorting of packaging and other waste.
Municipality
From 1 January 2024, Sweden’s municipalities have the collection responsibility for household packaging. The material quality of the collected packaging is an important factor for material recycling.
The municipalities also have an information responsibility, which means that they must provide information to the residents about why it is important to sort their packaging and how to do it correctly.
Get inspired
Good examples
From black to white – a small change with a big impact
The product “Hockeypulver” was introduced to Grahns Konfektyr’s range back in the 1980s. By switching the pot from black to white plastic, they have ensured the packaging can be recycled – without having to make major investments.
LUMENE’s new moisturiser jar uses 44% less packaging material
LUMENE, a leading Nordic beauty brand specialised in skincare, face makeup and colour cosmetics, has made a commitment towards a more sustainable future, something that is visible in their recently launched 50 ml moisturiser jars.
“Producer responsibility gives us an incentive to develop”
Pågen is Sweden's leading bakery in packaged fresh bread, yeast, coffee bread, rusks, sausage and hamburger bread. They have around 30 different breads in their range, with brands such as LingonGrova, Levain and Hönö. In total, Pågen bakes around 50 different products and their bread is sold in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Germany.
