MÁS RESIDUOS, MÁS BENEFICIO

The report argues that Ecoembes and Ecovidrio, the dominant waste management systems in Spain, use their monopoly power and lobbying to prevent the adoption of a mandatory Deposit Return System (SDDR). It highlights that these organizations benefit financially from increased plastic packaging volume, creating a conflict of interest that hinders EU recycling targets. The document also criticizes major supermarkets like Mercadona for opposing the SDDR and promotes the legislative progress in the Balearic Islands as a model for the rest of the country.

• Spain is the fourth largest consumer of plastic in Europe, with each citizen generating over 100 kg of plastic waste annually, and it is the second largest source of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, following Turkey.
• The cost of cleaning up abandoned packaging litter from streets and coasts in Spain is estimated to cost municipalities and taxpayers up to 744 million euros per year, with beverage containers accounting for up to 529 million euros of that total.
• Ecoembes operates as a monopoly whose business model is based on fees paid by producers based on the weight of packaging; consequently, the organization benefits from an increase in single-use packaging placed on the market.
• The report characterizes 'Reciclos' (SDR) as a voluntary 'false solution' and a distraction tactic by Ecoembes to avoid a mandatory SDDR, noting it is complicated, excludes people without smartphones, and lacks sufficient collection points for a population of 47 million.
• Major beverage producers (Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Danone, and PepsiCo) support a well-designed SDDR at the European level through EFBW and UNESDA, but their Spanish subsidiaries continue to oppose it by hiding behind the lobby of Ecoembes and Ecovidrio.
• Mercadona, Spain's largest supermarket with nearly 25% market share, is identified as one of the strongest opponents of the SDDR, using its 'Strategy 6.25' to promote voluntary, small-scale projects and lightweighting instead of systemic reform.
• The Balearic Islands have passed the most ambitious waste law in Spain, setting binding reduction targets (10% by 2021 and 20% by 2030) and establishing that only 25% of light packaging was actually recycled in 2019, contradicting Ecoembes' claims.
• Ecovidrio, the system for glass packaging, opposes the SDDR because its business model also benefits from more single-use glass being placed on the market, and it has used celebrity endorsements and social campaigns to mask this opposition.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2021). MÁS RESIDUOS, MÁS BENEFICIO. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MasResiduosMasBeneficio.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. MÁS RESIDUOS, MÁS BENEFICIO. 2021. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MasResiduosMasBeneficio.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=MÁS RESIDUOS, MÁS BENEFICIO |date=March 2021 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MasResiduosMasBeneficio.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2021residuos, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{MÁS RESIDUOS, MÁS BENEFICIO}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MasResiduosMasBeneficio.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }