Sweden’s bottle return system earns Europe’s first RecyClass certification for food-safe PET sorting

SWEDEN – Sweden’s Returpack has become Europe’s first deposit return system to receive RecyClass certification for its PET bottle sorting process, verifying that recycled plastic is food-safe and traceable under EU regulation 2022/1616 for food and beverage packaging.

The certification, audited by QHSEcert GmbH, confirms that recyclate from the Returpack system is ready to re-enter the supply chain. 

Sara Wester Bergendorff, head of Sustainability and Quality at Returpack, stated that the certification confirms strong control and traceability throughout the entire flow, from collection and sorting to delivery to material recyclers, and that it proves their working methods already meet high standards of quality and safety.

Why Deposit Systems Have a Built-In Advantage

Curbside collection mixes PET bottles with other plastics, metals, glass, and contaminants.

A deposit return system collects bottles as a separate, identified stream. 

At return, each container’s barcode is scanned, linking that specific bottle to a deposit refund. 

That barcode-level identification means the material stream is known and documented from the moment it enters the system. 

For food-contact recycled PET, traceability is not optional, it is a regulatory requirement under EU regulation 2022/1616. Returpack’s certification provides that documentation.

How the Certification Helps Brands

The certification process audited the entire chain: collection, sorting, pre-treatment, and delivery to recyclers. 

A RecyClass-certified DRS assures beverage brands that the rPET they purchase from Swedish recyclers meets EU food-contact standards, reducing their compliance risk.

Bergendorff noted that the plastic collected comes in as a clean, identified mono-material stream from the start, the structural advantage of a deposit system, and that this certification gives material customers and beverage producers the documentation they need to put that material back into new packaging.

Approaching the 90 Percent Target

Returpack previously reported collecting over 3 billion PET bottles and aluminium cans in 2025, a 130 million increase from the previous year. 

Sweden’s return rate rose to 88.4 percent, approaching the national target of 90 percent. The certification does not change how Returpack operates, it documents that existing processes meet EU standards. 

For beverage brands sourcing rPET, the certification provides third-party verification that the material is safe for food contact, reducing the need for additional supplier audits.

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