Time
The managing entity guarantees that there is no profit motive, but DECO believes that the lack of information leads consumers to interpret the initiative differently.
The value of the deposit corresponding to packaging not returned by consumers to the Deposit and Refund System (SDR) reverts to the system itself, whose managing entity highlighted to the Lusa agency be non-profit.
According to the president of SDR Portugal – the association responsible for the implementation and management of the SDR, which since April 10 operates under the brand “Volta” – this entity, “as a business association, is non-profit”, establishing the license granted to it by the Portuguese Environmental Association (APA) and the Directorate-General for Economy (DGE) that “the deposit value corresponding to packaging not returned will be used within the framework of the overall management of the system”.
Regarding the value of refund vouchers issued by “Volta” points that are not claimed by consumers during the period of validity of one year that they have, Leonardo Mathias explains that it will have to remain on the SDR balance sheet for three years and, only at the end of that period, can it be reinvested in the system.
However, he emphasizes, this can only happen “if the collection targets to which the SDR is obliged are achieved”.
Targeting the 2.1 billion units of plastic and aluminum bottles used each year, the system aims to recycle 90% of these products by 2029.
In this case, unclaimed deposits “will be applied to the maintenance of the ‘Volta’ network, the reinforcement and continuous innovation of the operational and logistical infrastructure associated with the SDR, as well as in communication and awareness campaigns that encourage the mobilization of consumers around collection and recycling objectives”.
Refund must always be possible
O consumer always has the right to receive in cash the deposit of 10 cents paid for the “Volta” packaging, being able to return them at any point in the network, regardless of where they were purchased, the managing entity explained to the Lusa agency.
“The fundamental principle of the system is that the consumer fully recovers the deposit amount paid at the time of purchase, as long as he returns the ‘Volta’ packaging under the appropriate conditions”, highlighted SDR Portugal.
Refund after packaging return “may take different modalitiesincluding refunds in vouchers, convertible into cash or deducted at the point of sale, loyalty cards, digital solutions or donations to an institution”, with the consumer being “ensured the refund of the deposit amount, in a clear, transparent way, without loss of the amount paid in the desired modality”.
“The hypothesis can never be ruled out [da devolução] of the money, if that is the client’s wish”, confirms the jurist from Deco’s legal and economic department Susana Correia, speaking to Lusa.
The lawyer explains that, although it is not possible to directly recover the money at the system’s automatic collection points in retail establishments, these devices issue a bill that, yes, can be converted into cash at the store counter. Alternatively, consumers can choose to return the item via vouchers or loyalty cards, to be redeemed at retail establishments, or by donating to an institution.
New solutions underway
According to the president of SDR Portugal, Leonardo Mathias, within the scope of the technological evolution of “Volta”, additional digital reimbursement solutions are currently being developed to be made available at automatic collection points, including transfer mechanisms and electronic options.
“These solutions aim to increase convenience and flexibility for consumers, following the modernization of payment methods”, he said.
The objective is to “ensure that the return process is increasingly simple, accessible and integrated into users’ daily lives, without compromising the traceability and robustness of the SDR”.
Meanwhile, the person responsible told Lusa that some operators, “as part of their commercial policies, are offering digital bank transfers”, but in these cases SDR Portugal is “not aware of the contractual terms involved”.
Notice to consumers: confirm the “Return” symbol when paying a deposit
SDR Portugal advises consumers to confirm the presence of the “Volta” symbol on the packaging they purchase, particularly in restaurants, if they suspect that they have been unduly charged the respective deposit amount of 10 cents.
“During the transition period, which runs until August 9, packaging with and without the ‘Volta’ symbol coexists. Only packaging with a symbol is covered by the SDR [Sistema de Depósito e Reembolso]so that packaging without a symbol is not subject to the deposit value and must continue to be sent to other recycling streams, namely to the yellow recycling bin”, explains the non-profit association responsible for implementing and managing the system, which operates under the “Volta” brand and has been operational since April 10.
SDR Portugal responded to questions raised by the Lusa agency, following the complaint of cases in which, particularly in restaurants, a deposit of 10 cents was charged for bottles without the “Volta” symbolthat is, they are not subject to this deposit as they are not yet part of the system.
Susana Correia explained that, in super and hypermarkets, computer systems automatically identify packages belonging to the system when, at the time of purchase, the respective barcode is read at the payment box, with the respective deposit being charged or not, depending on the case.
However, in restaurants the barcode on packaging is not frequently read (particularly in fast food establishments, where bottles are often included in menus), so if the establishment’s IT systems are already configured to apply the deposit by default, it may be charged to non-covered packaging that is still in circulation.
“In situations of doubt or possible undue charging, consumers should always confirm the presence of the ‘Volta’ symbol on the packaging and request clarification at the point of sale”, emphasizes SDR Portugal.
In this regard, the managing entity emphasizes that “the deposit amount is not a fee”functioning rather “as a ‘deposit’” which “is fully refunded to the citizen when the ‘Volta’ packages are returned to the system in the appropriate conditions”.
Lack of information
Despite the positive assessment made by SDR, Deco says that consumers remain poorly informed about how to recover the deposit paid for beverage packaging.
“Communication about the system’s entry into force was not well taken care of, because the information only started to reach consumers more consistently once the system was implemented. There are many doubts about how it works and, two months later, we continue to have consumers not knowing, for example, that they have the right to demand the [reembolso da caução paga pelas embalagens em] cash”, said Susana Correia, which “leads to them being somewhat uncomfortable with the system itself, because they don’t understand it”.
“We would like it to have been presented to consumers first as a form of incentive [à reciclagem]explaining that it involves paying a deposit, but this amount can be refunded”, he explained.
However, “as it was not well worked on, well planned and well communicated”, the fact is that “by consumers it is still very much perceived as another fee, a tax or a penalty, when in fact the system does not have this objective”.
For SDR Portugal, these are “normal implementation phase issues”, mainly predominating “doubts about the functioning of the system, the packaging eligibility conditions and the process of returning and refunding the deposit amount”.
Who joined the Volta?
SDR Portugal has two founding entities: the Circular Drinks Association, which represents beverage producers, and the SDRetalhistas Association, representing the distribution and retail sector.
The Circular Drinks Association includes companies such as Água do Fastio, Águas das Caldas de Penacova, Coca-Cola, Águas do Areeiro, Águas do Vimeiro, Cervejas da Madeira, Damm, Monchique, Parmalat, SCC (Sociedade Central de Cervejas), Sumol+Compal, Super Bock Group, Unilever Fima, and sector associations (Portuguese Association of Natural and Spring Mineral Waters Industries – APIAM and Portuguese Association of Non-Alcoholic Refreshing Drinks – PROBEB).
The SDRetalhistas Association brings together groups such as Auchan, Intermarché, Lidl, Mercadona, Sonae (Continente), Pingo Doce, Makro and Aldi.
According to the management entity, 90% of the soft drink, water and beer industry and 80% of retailers joined “Volta”.
In addition to these private entities that finance and operate the system, SDR Portugal is licensed and supervised by public entities APA and DGE.
The SDR system is already implemented in several European countries, such as Germany, Austria or Denmark, and annually collects more than 35,000 million packages, involving around 357 million inhabitants.
The European Union’s objective is that, by 2040, single-use plastic bottles contain at least 65% recycled material.
In Portugal, the system had already been planned since 2017 and a 2018 law established that it would be operational on January 1, 2022, but it only started on April 10, with an investment of 150 million euros.
