The deposit system cuts the climate impact in half

Collecting cans and PET bottles for recycling helps reduce environmental and climate impact, no matter how it’s done. But the approach that makes the biggest difference is closed-loop recycling – where a can becomes a new can and a bottle becomes a new bottle.

– Closed-loop recycling is at the core of what we do, and it’s what makes the deposit system the most effective option from an environmental perspective. Our analyses show that the environmental benefits of this circular recycling are far greater than the emissions needed to keep the system running, says Sara Bergendorff, Head of Sustainability and Quality at Returpack.

To understand the climate impact of what happens to cans and PET bottles after they’re used, Pantamera carries out life cycle assessments (LCAs). The latest study from 2025 looks at the parts where different systems actually differ – collection, sorting, and recycling. It compares the impact of packaging returned through the deposit system with those sorted in regular recycling, since that reflects how people in Sweden handle their empty drink packaging today.

The results are clear: cans and PET bottles that are returned through the deposit system have a much lower climate impact than those put in other recycling. For example, around 3 billion cans and PET bottles were returned in Sweden in 2025. That meant the climate impact was roughly cut in half compared to if they had gone through other recycling instead – a saving equal to nearly 40,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents over a year. And the total benefit is even greater when you factor in that recycled material replaces new raw materials.