Reciclad’OR x Sustainability Stand Up by Revista Piața: 1.3% — the reality of the circular economy in Romania

On June 10, 2026, Reciclad’OR took the stage at Sustainability Stand Up, the 8th edition of the Sustainability & CSR Excellence conferences, with a direct message built on data, not rhetoric. Marius Brînzea, Strategy Director at Reciclad’OR, made the point clearly once again. Three figures opened the presentation. And they say everything:

Global: 6.9%. EU: 12.2%. Romania: 1.3%.

This is the real circularity rate of our economies. At the same time, sustainability reporting is growing exponentially. We are building the most detailed map in history of a territory that is, in fact, shrinking. On June 10, 2026, Reciclad’OR took the stage at Sustainability Stand Up, the 8th edition of the Sustainability & CSR Excellence conferences, with a direct message built on data, not rhetoric. Three figures opened the presentation. And they say everything: Global: 6.9%. EU: 12.2%. Romania: 1.3%. This is the real circularity rate of our economies. At the same time, sustainability reporting is growing exponentially. We are building the most detailed map in history of a territory that is, in fact, shrinking.

What 1.3% means

Romania ranks last in the European Union in terms of circular material use rate. Ten times below the EU average. Twenty-five times below the Netherlands. Seventy-four percent below its own 2025 target, which was 5% and was not reached. The National Strategy sets a target of 10% for 2030. At the current pace, this is impossible. Globally, the picture is just as stark: €25.4 trillion lost annually because of the linear economy, equivalent to 31% of global GDP. A loss invisible in any national report, yet present in every business decision that chooses virgin raw material instead of secondary material.

CSRD, Omnibus, VSME, what has changed and what remains

Omnibus I removed 90% of companies from the legal CSRD obligation. The threshold increased from 250 to 1,000 employees. It sounds like a relaxation, but it is not. The pressure does not disappear. It moves from legislation into the market: banks, investors, large clients, CSDDD due diligence. Value chain requirements continue, regardless of what Brussels decides. And VSME, the voluntary standard for SMEs, approved as a Commission Recommendation in July 2025, brings something concrete: the legal right to refuse requests that exceed the limits of the standard. We are no longer talking about voluntariness. We are talking about legal protection.

Regulation does not produce infrastructure

CSRD will not change the 1.3% rate. Reporting regulation does not build sorting stations, does not finance separate collection and does not make recycled plastic competitive with fossil-subsidised virgin plastic. We have four years to move Romania from 1.3% to 10%. That means real investment, functional EPR and responsibility distributed across the entire chain. At Reciclad’OR, we work precisely with this difference, year after year, day after day. Transfer of responsibility, collection and recycling, CSRD and PPWR consulting, CO2 emissions calculation. We do not manage reports. We manage material.

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Do you want to know where your company stands in relation to these figures? 📞 (031) 9306 | 📧 office@reciclador.green | 🌐 reciclador.green

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The voice that matters

More than 1,200 companies did not choose the same OIREP by chance. Reciclad’OR, the voice that matters when responsibility also means results. Because we believe sustainability is not driven by obligation. It is driven by vision. Reciclad’OR is one of the most important OIREP organisations in Romania, with expertise in transfer of responsibility, collection and recycling, environmental consulting and circular economy. If you are a producer, importer or retailer and want to understand how you can efficiently fulfil your recycling responsibilities, we are here.