Reciclad’OR x Sustainability Stand Up by Revista Piața: 1.3% — the reality of Romania’s circular economy
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, Reciclad’OR’s Strategy Director, made things crystal clear — as always.
Three figures opened the presentation. And they say it all:
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, data-driven message, not rhetoric.
Three figures opened the presentation. And they say it all:
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 does 1.3% mean
Romania ranks last in the European Union for its circular material use rate. Ten times below the EU average. Twenty-five times below the Netherlands. 74% below its own 2025 target — which was set at 5% and was not met.
The National Strategy sets a 10% target for 2030. At the current pace, it is impossible.
Globally, the picture is equally stark: €25.4 trillion lost annually due to the linear economy — equivalent to 31% of world GDP. An invisible loss in no national report, yet present in every business decision that chooses virgin raw materials over secondary ones.
CSRD, Omnibus, VSME — what has changed and what remains
Omnibus I removed 90% of companies from the legal CSRD obligation. The threshold rose from 250 to 1,000 employees. It sounds like a relaxation — it is not.
The pressure does not disappear. It shifts from legislation to the market: banks, investors, major 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 voluntarism. We are talking about legal protection.
Regulation does not build infrastructure
CSRD will not change the 1.3% rate. Reporting regulation does not build sorting stations, does not fund separate collection, does not make recycled plastic competitive against fossil-subsidised virgin plastic.
We have four years to move Romania from 1.3% to 10%. That means real investment, functional EPR and distributed responsibility across the entire supply chain.
At Reciclad’OR, we work with exactly this gap — year after year, day after day. Responsibility transfer, collection and recycling, CSRD and PPWR consultancy, CO2 emissions calculation. We don’t manage reports. We manage materials.
Want to know where your company stands against these figures?
📞 (031) 9306 | 📧 office@reciclador.green | 🌐 reciclador.green
The voice that matters
Over 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 done out of obligation. It is done out of vision.
Reciclad’OR is one of the most important OIREP organisations in Romania, with expertise in responsibility transfer, collection and recycling, environmental consultancy and circular economy.
If you are a producer, importer or retailer and want to understand how to efficiently fulfil your recycling responsibilities, we are here!
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