Kosik.cz and Mattoni started testing a deposit system on certain PET bottles, available on the online grocers platform. The bottle, which is already made of 80% recycled plastic, has a three Czech crowns deposit. Only bottles which have the deposit label can be returned for the deposit. PET bottles returned will be recycled and put in use again.
The online system makes the test easier as the distributor can limit the distribution to one online retailer, testing the process on one specific PET bottle type. The customer chooses the deposit labeled bottle, and during the next Kosik order, when the bottle is returned, the deposit is credited and Kosik completes the logistics of returning the PET bottle to Mattoni.
According to the General Director of Kosik.cz Tomas Jerabek the idea came from customers themselves who are interested in helping the sustainability of the environment and are not turned off by dealing with a deposit system. It is also a great way to test the actual demand from consumers when given a choice between deposit or non-deposit containers.
Mattoni is the largest supporter of getting a state mandated system into law in the Czech Republic through the online channel zalohujeme.cz. Last year’s research from the agency Kantar TNS a Ipsos showed that three quarters of Czechs support a deposit system for the PET bottles, even if that means that they need to store the bottles in full original form.
The issue is that the future waste management rules, recently passed, do not account for any deposit system coming into place in the Czech Republic. Unlike Slovakia which has legislated a deposit program from 2022 onward. In the Czech Repubic, bottlers can choose to activate their own systems, so Mattoni is trying it.
With populist politics, sustainability and waste reduction strong trends in today’s society, combined with a whole slew of legislation at Global, European, and Local levels, there is a strong chance that these rules will be revised again and challenges come to the existing legislation on a national level.
