Is the new ROP model a dead end? The future of the packaging economy in Poland – join us for a debate
DEBATE
Is the new ROP model a dead end? The future of the packaging economy in Poland
October 15, 2025, Poznań, MTP, Hall 5, stage
Poland is facing the biggest reform of its packaging and packaging waste management system in years. The UC100 project envisages a move away from a pluralistic model towards a single, central entity managed by the state. This solution is intended to provide greater control and simpler accounting, but it also raises concerns: lack of competition, increased costs, and detachment from market realities.
Those introducing the reform are aware that they should bear the full cost of the system, but in return they want to have a say in how the funds are spent and guarantees that they are financing actual recycling processes, not bureaucracy. In other countries, it is public-private partnerships and the shared responsibility of producers, recyclers, and recovery organizations that have ensured the highest efficiency.
In addition, recyclers have long warned that their industry is underfunded, and recovery organizations warn against losing the achievements of 20 years of market development. During the panel, we will try to answer the question of whether the new model proposed by the Ministry will actually improve the collection and recycling of packaging waste, or whether it will become another burden on businesses, without any real environmental effects.
Is the model contained in UC100 a good solution for the waste management system in Poland, or will it be another dead end? Is centralization an opportunity for stability and transparency, or rather a risk of monopoly, higher costs, and lower environmental efficiency?
Moderator:
Piotr Mazurek Circular Economy Expert, Lewiatan Confederation
Participants:
- Katarzyna Barańska – Partner, Head of Decarbonization Team, Osborne Clarke
- Jacek Pietrzyk – Senior Consultant, Sustainability Consulting, Deloitte Central Europe
- Ewa Starzyk – Director of Regulation and Sustainable Development, Polish Cosmetics Industry Association
- Paweł Sosnowski – Management Board Representative for Environmental Regulation, Interzero Packaging Recovery Organization S.A.
- Andrzej Kubik – President of the Management Board, GPR Guma i Plastik Recycling Sp. z o.o.
Organizers
The event is free of charge. Admission tickets to the POLECO fair are required.