BonÀrea Revolutionises Recycling: Customers Will Receive 50 Cents for Returning Meat Trays Across Catalonia

The supermarket chain BonÀrea has announced the definitive expansion of its RetornA recycling system across its entire retail network in Catalonia, following the resounding success of its pilot phase. The system, which recalls the traditional glass bottle deposit-return model, allows the plastic trays used for its meat products to be reused up to 50 times, thereby closing a genuine circular economy loop.

A financial incentive that makes the difference

Unlike other recycling models based solely on consumer awareness, the success of RetornA lies in a direct financial incentive. The mechanism is straightforward: the customer pays a deposit of €0.45 when purchasing a product packaged in one of these trays, and receives €0.50 upon returning it to the store.

This five-cent difference in the consumer’s favour acts as a powerful psychological lever. According to data from the pilot trial conducted in Tarragona and Guissona, the system achieved a return rate of 60%, preventing the generation of more than 72,000 single-use containers.

Vertical integration: the key to logistical success

The project, backed by the Agència de Residus de Catalunya (Catalan Waste Agency) and an investment exceeding €10 million, relies on BonÀrea’s vertical integration structure. By controlling the entire chain — from production and packaging to sales and distribution — the company is able to manage the traceability, cleaning and disinfection of the trays to strict food safety standards without depending on third parties.

This model also makes it possible to reduce the structural costs of the product by eliminating the constant need for disposable packaging, which in turn helps to adjust the final retail price.

Expansion and future of the system

The large-scale rollout will begin in the second half of 2026, reaching approximately 460 stores across Catalonia. The system is already in use for products such as chicken breast fillets and whole chicken thighs, with further product lines set to be added progressively.

After consolidating its presence in the Catalan market, BonÀrea plans to extend RetornA to its more than 600 outlets across Spain. The initiative will be officially presented at the Alimentaria 2026 trade fair in Barcelona, positioning itself as a proactive response to the growing European regulatory requirements on plastic waste reduction.

Although the system has proven operationally viable, the main challenge will be maintaining these high return rates as the model scales up to millions of daily transactions and becomes part of consumers’ everyday routine.

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-. Sustainability applied to poultry farming

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