Aluminium cans are taking a bigger share of Romania’s deposit return system, with cans accounting for 29.3% of DRS packaging as consumers and beverage companies shift toward lighter, more recyclable containers.
Romania cans reach 29.3% of deposit packaging
The increase matters because Romania’s DRS is still shaping how drinks are packaged and sold across the market, and a higher can mix typically supports higher collection efficiency, better recycling economics and more demand for aluminium sheet, ends and can-making capacity. For beverage producers, the move also helps meet sustainability targets and can lower transport emissions versus heavier packaging formats.
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The trend is a positive read-through for global can makers including Crown Holdings and Ball Corp, which have been expanding capacity in Europe as demand for canned drinks rises. Crown said in its latest filing that the European beverage can market has been growing on consumer focus on sustainability and a shift away from other packaging formats, and it plans to add line capacity in Korinthos, Greece to meet volume requirements.
Ball and other packaging peers have also pointed to steady growth in European cans as beverage brands seek packaging that is easier to recover in deposit schemes. For investors, the Romanian data reinforces a broader European market trend that supports volume growth, pricing power and utilization rates in a sector that has been pressured at times by higher input costs and uneven consumer demand.
The can share gain also fits a wider industrial backdrop in which manufacturing activity is improving modestly, with recent industrial production readings edging higher and market sentiment around the sector turning more constructive. Still, the pace of adoption will depend on how quickly the DRS matures, how consumers respond to deposit incentives and whether beverage brands keep shifting product lines into cans.
| Entity | Gains | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium can makers | ▲Higher demand, better utilization | ▼— |
| Beverage brands using cans | ▲Easier recycling, sustainability gains | ▼Brands tied to heavier packaging |
| Romanian recycling system | ▲Higher recovery rates, cleaner material stream | ▼Legacy waste handlers |
| Glass and plastic packaging rivals | ▲— | ▼Share loss in deposit schemes |
