Cologne, 27.04.2012

Opportunities should be exploited, not downplayed

It is hard to comprehend: phasing out petroleum-based products over the long term has been demanded for good reason and the need for plastics based on renewable resources underlined. But just as soon as companies introduce innovative concepts for these new materials, there is an almost reflex reaction with stiff opposition from the same parties. This doesn’t help to achieve successful development. “New developments only have a chance if somebody believes in them. Of course there are still a lot of issues to be resolved in the area of bioplastics, such as the recycling solutions – which RE|PLA Cycle is working to supply. But downplaying everything is definitely not the right way. Instead, the many opportunities offered here must be approached and exploited,” commented Raffael A. Fruscio, shareholder of the Reclay Group.

Vienna, 24.02.2012

Opening times in Vienna

It wasn’t so difficult after all: dynamism and innovative energy can even change and improve situations that seem to be set in stone. This also applies to the Austrian packaging disposal market in the industrial sector: only fifteen months after the launch of business, Reclay UFH has been successful in an area that was effectively blocked for sixteen years by the quasi-monopolist ARA: true market opening. In talks with the food retailing industry, the Ministry of the Environment, the Chamber of Commerce and ARA, Reclay UFH has been able to achieve an agreement on the collection of packaging volume from alternative system operators in the food retailing industry. A structure was developed in which the volumes will be documented for the first time according to the shares of the individual systems.

“This understanding heralds the end of ARA’s dominant position on the market in the industrial sector. The agreement, which also benefits the alternative suppliers on the Austrian market who have been unable to find a solution over many years, is at last creating the open market that was envisaged back in 1996 by the Packaging Ordinance. We are very pleased about this success. It shows us that we are headed in the right direction for promoting competition in the interests of our customers,” comments Walter Tanzer, managing director of Reclay UFH.

Köln, 20.01.2012

Time to leave

“Antitrust considerations” were stated by waste disposal contractor Tönsmeier as the reason for its exit from the waste disposal company Zentek and therefore also from “Duales System Zentek”. This can certainly be described as a matter for consideration, especially in view of the special circumstances associated with the “vertically integrated” dual systems that are linked to a waste disposal company. In these circumstances, the waste disposal contractors become both customers and suppliers – something that is foreign to any other industry. This happens regularly in the dual systems market when a waste disposal company gains the upper hand with tenders relating to waste disposal services as a result of its involvement in a dual system. There is the danger that contracts will be awarded in-house and conditions dictated to rival companies. From the perspective of the Reclay Group, this fundamental conflict will not be solved by the specifications of the “tender agreement”, but at most made reasonably bearable. “This withdrawal from Zentek is a step in the right direction. It slowly seems to be dawning on the vertically integrated systems as well that the same specifications as in all the other markets also apply to them,” commented Raffael A. Fruscio, shareholder of the Reclay Group.

Cologne, 08.12.2011

Time to light the Advent crown

We’re sure that some of our competitors will have seen the light this year when reading the articles in Upfront! Our candid column has become one of the market’s favourite clicks – and what would therefore be more natural than to wish all our competitors a very merry Christmas right here. The CO₂ emissions for postage are saved as well, and so we’re sending glad tidings to the world! Don’t forget: the end of the year is the time when we make new resolutions. Which means the market is in a good position to make fresh plans! All that remains is for us to wish you a happy festive season – we look forward to an exciting and eventful New Year!

Cologne, 12.10.2011

It is easy to fall into your own trap…

Quote from Interseroh press release, 26.09.2011: “Interseroh terminates contracts with major group (…) This extraordinary and unprecedented measure should serve as a warning to all market participants, i.e. system operators, trade and industry, the waste disposal industry and in particular those who implement the regulations (…).”

It is notable that – according to market sources – in the most recent call for tenders from Lidl, Interseroh and two other “BDE-certificate companies” (BDE = Bundesverband der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser- und Rohstoffwirtschaft e.V./German Association for the Waste Disposal, Water and Raw Materials Industry) were left in the ring and – from the perspective of the competition – fought a price war to win the approval of the customer. And it is all the more significant that this calculation is now described as inadequate in a headline-grabbing press release. The fact remains that the dual systems that did not sign the BDE certificate were not among the companies that offered such “unbeatable bargains” during the call for tenders. When considered in connection with the Eko-Punkt statement about the BDE certificate, which declares that none of those who signed have adhered to the obligations, there is more than enough room for speculation as to who or what could be blamed for this miscalculation. “The Reclay Group advises Interseroh to examine its own methods,” commented Raffael A. Fruscio, shareholder of the Reclay Group. Or, to quote the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on 27 September 2011: “DSD boss Stefan Schreiter accused competitor Interseroh of bearing some share of the responsibility for the market situation. ‘The competitors with their POS solutions are themselves a significant part of the problem. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,’ he said.”