Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen has advised the Beverage Producers Alliance in setting up a deposit return system for single-use primary packaging – RetuRO – and on its accreditation as the sole administrator of the Romanian system.
"A turning point in making a deposit return system (DRS) operational was the appointment of its future administrator, whose role is to develop and manage the complex infrastructure needed to ensure the efficient operation of the system," the firm explained. "In this context, the representative associations of beverage producers and retailers have set up a dedicated company, RetuRo Sistem Garanție Returnare S.A. (RetuRO), which operates on a not-for-profit basis. RetuRO was accredited as DRS administrator. The shareholders of RetuRO include the Brewers of Romania Association for the Environment and the Association of Soft Drinks Producers for Sustainability, two associations created by the members of the Beverage Producers Alliance and the Retailers Association for the Environment.
“The Romanian Deposit Return System is an environmental project of key importance in the professional activity of every participant in this initiative," commented Brewers of Romania Association for the Environment General Manager Julia Leferman. "Setting up and making the system operational required, however, intense effort on the part of all the parties involved and effective coordination so as to make sure that both the process and the related documentation are in line with the legal provisions in force and with the available information provided by the entities that contributed to this, directly or indirectly."
“The environmental policy targets set by the European Union for Member States are extremely ambitious," commented NNDKP Partner Roxana Ionescu. "As far as Romania is concerned, the reality is that achieving these targets will require close and transparent cooperation among all stakeholders – public sector, private sector and consumers – with a level of involvement from each party that is difficult to quantify at this point. For DRS to be efficient, responsibility should not rest exclusively with the producers and retailers, and every one of us should play our part. This will ensure that Romania falls into line with the global trend and makes the shift to a truly circular economy, in a reasonable period. DRS is one of the many initiatives that need to be implemented in this respect. We are honored to have had the opportunity to contribute to this pioneering project in the environmental field and we thank the Beverage Producers Alliance for their trust.”
The NNDKP team was led by Ionescu and Partner Gabriela Cacerea and included Partners Georgeta Dinu, Anca Diaconu, and Silviu Badescu, Counsel Mirela Preda, Managing Associate Florina Firaru, Senior Associates Miruna Vlad and Mihai Fifoiu, and Associate Oxana Gorgan.
