Reveal Marketing Research study: 9 out of 10 Romanians have heard about the Guarantee-Return System, but they do not have a clear picture of how it works

Reveal Market Resources, Study No. 141

The most recent study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research aimed to uncover more details about what Romanians know, how they found out and how they intend to act in the context of the Guarantee-Return System, the latest initiative in waste management, which comes into effect starting November 30, 2023.

Additionally, the study results also aimed to track how consumer perceptions on this subject have evolved compared to a similar study conducted 6 months ago.”

• 87% of Romanians have heard about the Guarantee-Return System for packaging of bottled beverages, with awareness levels increasing by 21% compared to June 2023.
• 61% of Romanians intend to always return the packaging of purchased beverages, with an equal number preferring to use a collection machine.
• 4 out of 10 Romanians admit that they will change their beverage consumption behavior once the new regulation comes into effect

Starting November 30, 2023, the Guarantee-Return System becomes operational in Romania. What does the new regulation entail?”

According to the legislation on the Guarantee-Return System, consumers will pay a guarantee of 0.50 RON when they buy a drink in a non-refillable packaging (with a volume between 0.1l – 3l) made of glass, plastic or metal and will receive the guarantee back when they return the packaging.

The national information campaign has succeeded in reaching a wide audience: 9 out of 10 Romanians have heard about the Guarantee-Return System

According to the results of the study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research, 87% of Romanians have heard about the Guarantee-Return System for packaging of bottled beverages, with awareness levels increasing by 21% compared to June 2023 (66%).

Most Romanians found out about the implementation of the new program through the promotion campaign on TV and radio (75%), to a significantly higher extent men (81% vs. 70% women), those in rural areas (80% vs. 73% in urban areas) and older people over 55 (88%). In the list of the most relevant sources of information we also find print/online media (40%), social media platforms (37%) or discussions with friends/acquaintances (15%). As a trend, women were more exposed to information related to this topic while using social media platforms (41% vs. 32% men) or during discussions with friends/acquaintances (18% vs. 10% men).

Despite the high level of awareness, consumers do not have a clear and precise understanding of how the new regulation works

The results of the Reveal Marketing Research study highlight that Romanians are confused when it comes to the specifics of the Guarantee-Return System, especially regarding the types of packaging eligible to the new regulation

Thus, only a fraction of respondents who have heard of the new system mention plastic (90%), glass (75%) and metal (50%) packaging as eligible. In addition to a lower level of awareness for metal packaging, there is also a higher level of confusion, with 25% of Romanians mistakenly believing that cardboard packaging is part of this program.

Regarding bottle volumes, the level of confusion is extremely high, with only 24% of respondents mentioning the correct volume of packaging included in the system (0.1l – 3l), with the majority (43%) believing that all packaging, regardless of volume, is eligible.

Regarding other particularities related to the implementation of the system, most Romanians say they have heard about the 0.50 RON guarantee (72% vs. 53% in June 2023), the date of 30 November 2023 when the system becomes operational (57% vs. 24% in June 2023) and the fact that a mandatory guarantee will be paid on packaging (50% vs. 45% in June 2023). As a general trend, mature people over 45 are more informed about how the system works compared to the rest of the sample.

61% of Romanians always intend to return the packaging of purchased beverages, with just as many preferring to use a collection machine

In the new scenario, 61% of Romanians intend to return beverage packaging every time in order to recover the purchase guarantee, with those over 45 (71%) and those in rural areas (68% vs. 59% in urban areas) being the most disciplined, while 36% say they will return them occasionally, especially young people aged 25-34 (45%).

Measuring perceptions of this regulation, the majority of Romanians would prefer to return packaging to a collection machine (61%), especially young people aged 18-24 (74%), while 25% say they do not have a clear preference, especially older people over 55 (35%), and 14% would opt for manual return.

4 out of 10 Romanians admit that they will change their purchasing and consumption behavior of bottled beverages once the Guarantee-Return System comes into effect

In terms of how Romanians think the implementation of the new system will influence their consumption habits, 44% say they will buy drinks as before, especially men (50% vs. 38% women) and those over 45 (52%), the age group that showed the greatest willingness to always return drinks packaging. 19% think they will buy larger packaging to pay less for the guarantee, especially women (23% vs. 15% men) and young people aged 25-34 (30%).

To a lesser extent we find those who say they cannot judge at the moment if and how their consumption habits will change (14%), those who will buy less often (13%) or those who will choose cheaper products on the shelf (10%).

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About Reveal Marketing Research

Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in market research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and other European countries for 15 years.

Reveal Market Resources, Study No. 141: Reveal Market Resources is a data hub of free studies offered to audiences, with the aim of supporting the marketing and communication market in Romania.

Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online during 21-26 November 2023 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users, urban and rural residents. The sample size was 1005 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence level.