Packaging in 2025: the big picture
In 2025, Romania's packaging industry was largely shaped by the maturing of its national deposit-return system, the approach of binding European packaging rules and a steady migration towards recyclable, recycled content and single-material formats across food, beverages, beauty, home care and pet food. Unit volumes rose modestly in most industries, supported by resilient demand for everyday staples, premiumisation and the spread of e-commerce, even as persistent inflation, cocoa- and cooking-cost pressures and cautious discretionary spending tempered volume development. The Sistumel Garantie-Returnare deposit-return system delivered a second full year of high collection rates and fed substantial volumes of clean recyclate back into domestic production, while the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, in force from February 2025, fixed the regulatory timeline that producers are now designing towards.
2025 key trends
The standout trend of 2025 was the consolidation of the deposit-return system as the anchor of Romania's circular economy. Now in its second full year, the scheme captured the great majority of single-use beverage containers and supplied high-quality PET, aluminium and glass to recyclers. The system has underpinned a rapidly closing bottle-to-bottle loop in soft drinks and has reinforced a wider recycling culture that spilled over into beauty, home care and food. Recycled content, rather than novelty formats, became the principal arena of material innovation.
Food packaging: glass and fibre rise as the deposit system feeds recyclate
Food is Romania's largest packaging arena by unit count, registering a mixed performance in 2025. Dairy, the single biggest category, edged up marginally to 1,927 million units as milk and yoghurt consumption stabilised. Rigid-plastic is prominent in dairy, with HDPE and PET bottles, pots and cups accounting for 59% of volumes, while flexible packaging advanced 4% and glass surged 21% to 15 million units at the premium end. The defining development was a November 2025 pilot by Tetra Pak and retailer Mega Image, with partners Maspex, Tomra and Brai Cata, described as Europe's first large-scale collection scheme dedicated to beverage and dairy cartons. Reverse vending machines installed in selected stores in Bucharest and Bra?ov offer a RON1 voucher for each returned carton, with a target of one million cartons over an eight-month trial. The scheme matters because beverage and dairy cartons fall outside the deposit-return system and depend on the paper and board stream for recovery.
Soft drinks packaging accelerates the bottle-to-bottle loop as glass and metal gain
Soft drinks packaging volumes edged higher in 2025, rising by less than 1% to 3,821 million units, up from 3,793 million in 2024, as resilient demand for carbonates and bottled water offset cost-of-living pressure. Rigid plastic, overwhelmingly PET bottles, remained the dominant format at 2,608 million units, but the sharpest momentum among the major formats was in glass, which advanced 6% to 444 million units on premiumisation in adult soft drinks, mixers and on-trade water. Metal beverage cans continued their steady rise in energy drinks and ready-to-drink categories. The advance of glass and metal reshaped closures, lifting metal screw and lug closures even as plastic screw closures remained dominant.
Pet food packaging consolidates around lightweight, recyclable pouches
Dog and cat food packaging volumes grew 9% in 2025 to 1,016 million units, driven by rising pet ownership and demand for convenient formats. By September 2025, more than 57% of Romanians owned pets, many of them owning multiple animals. Aluminium/plastic pouches remained the dominant packaging format, valued for their durability, freshness preservation and portion control. Rigid plastic was the fastest-growing pack type, up 29%, led by thin wall containers and squeezable tubes in the dynamic cat treats and mixers segment, albeit from a small base. Leading international brands such as Pedigree, Whiskas, Brit and Orlando rely heavily on flexible pouches, while regional player Kormotech has strengthened distribution through local retailers with its Club 4 Paws and Optimeal brands.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Packaging industry in Romania with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to a comprehensive range of packaging types.
If you're in the Packaging industry in Romania, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Packaging in Romania report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Packaging in Romania?
- Which are the major pack types and how are they performing in Romania?
- Have there been any packaging legislative changes in the past 12 months?
- How are consumption trends impacting the packaging landscape?
- What are the key trends and latest product developments in packaging?
- How important are sustainability and recycling to consumers in Romania?
- Where is future growth expected to be most significant?
Packaging Industry in Romania
Packaging in 2025: the big picture
2025 key trends
Food packaging: glass and fibre rise as the deposit system feeds recyclate
Soft drinks packaging accelerates the bottle-to-bottle loop as glass and metal gain
Pet food packaging consolidates around lightweight, recyclable pouches
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation sets the structural agenda
Extended producer responsibility and higher national recycling targets raise the bar
Shrinkflation disclosure rules reshape pack-size strategy
Sistemul Garantie-Returnare deposit system bolsters progress toward circular-economy
Fibre recovery and flexible-packaging recycling expand the infrastructure
Country Reports Disclaimer
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Packaging
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- Baby and Child-specific Products Packaging
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- Bar Soap
- Bath Additives
- Body Powder
- Body Wash/Shower Gel
- Hand Sanitisers
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- Intimate Washes
- Intimate Wipes
- Liquid Soap
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- Eye Liner/Pencil
- Eye Shadow
- Mascara
- Other Lash and Brow Make-Up
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- BB/CC Creams
- Blusher/Bronzer/Highlighter
- Foundation/Concealer
- Powder
- Other Facial Make-Up
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- Lip Gloss
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- Lipstick
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- Nail Polish
- Nail Treatments/Strengthener
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- Deodorant Creams
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- Hair Removers/Bleaches
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- 2-in-1 Products
- Colourants
- Conditioners and Treatments
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- Salon Professional Hair Care
- Standard Shampoos
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- Men's Post-Shave
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- Men's Razors and Blades
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- Men's Bath and Shower
- Men's Deodorants
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- Dental Floss
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- Body Care
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- Face Masks
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- Liquid/Cream/Gel/Bar Cleansers
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- Basic Moisturisers
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- Adult Sun Care
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- Dark Beer
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- Flavoured/Mixed Lager
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- Domestic Lager
- Imported Lager
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- Brandy and Cognac
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- Fortified Wine and Vermouth
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- Fresh Coffee Beans
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- Fresh Ground Coffee Pods
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- Black Tea
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- Liquid Concentrates
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- 100% Juice
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- Carbonated RTD Tea and Kombucha
- Still RTD Tea
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- Cat Treats and Mixers
- Dry Cat Food
- Wet Cat Food
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- Dog Treats and Mixers
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- Dried Baby Food
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- Liquid Milk Formula
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- Dessert Mixes
- Frozen Baked Goods
- Packaged Bread
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- Breakfast Cereals Packaging
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- Chocolate Pouches and Bags
- Boxed Assortments
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- Butter and Spreads
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- Processed Cheese
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- Flavoured Milk Drinks
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- Fresh Milk
- Shelf Stable Milk
- Goat Milk
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- Powder Milk
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- Sour Milk Products
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- Chilled and Shelf Stable Desserts
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- Condensed Milk
- Cream
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- Plant-based Milk
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- Edible Oils Packaging
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- Frozen Yoghurt
- Impulse Ice Cream
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- Frozen Fruit
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- Shelf Stable Beans
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- Chilled Processed Meat
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- Dried Ready Meals
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- Chilled Pizza
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- Noodles
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- Chilled Pasta
- Dried Pasta
- Rice
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- Bouillon
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- Monosodium Glutamate
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- Liquid Recipe Sauces (excl pasta sauces)
- Dry Recipe Sauces
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- Barbecue Sauces
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- Ketchup
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- Dips
- Pickled Products
- Other Sauces and Condiments
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- Nuts, Seeds and Trail Mixes
- Popcorn
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- Chocolate Spreads
- Honey
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- Nut and Seed Based Spreads
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- Fruit Snacks
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- Candle Air Fresheners
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- Bleach
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- Automatic Dishwashing Liquids
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- Electric Insecticides
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- Carpet Cleaners
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- Dryer Sheets
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- Powder Detergents
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- Compact Powder Tablet Detergents
- Liquid Tablet Detergents
- Liquid Detergents
- Other Detergents
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- Floor Polish
- Furniture Polish
- Metal Polish
- Shoe Polish
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- Cleaning Solution
- Starter Kits/Sweepers/Sticks (Excluding Wipes)
- Wipes (Excluding Starter Kits/Sweepers/Sticks)
- Bathroom Cleaners
- Descalers
- Drain Openers
- Floor Cleaners
- Home Care Disinfectants
- Kitchen Cleaners
- Multi-Purpose Cleaners
- Oven Cleaners
- Scouring Agents
- Window/Glass Cleaners
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- In-Cistern Devices
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- Rim Blocks
- Rim Liquids
- Toilet Care Tablets/Powders
- Toilet Cleaning Systems
- Toilet Liquids/Foam
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This report originates from Passport, our Packaging research and analysis database.
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