Sustainability in practice: Container investment strengthens electronics reuse
Photo: Jesper Skytte, Managing Director at NIPA, right, and Morten Harboe-Jepsen, CEO of Retur, left.
Elretur, which is part of Retur, manages Extended Producer Responsibility for electronics on behalf of more than 1,300 Danish companies that produce, import or sell electronic products. This means, among other things, that Elretur collects electronic products when they become waste and ensures that as much as possible is reused, recycled or disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.
As Elretur manages more than 80% of all electronic waste in Denmark — everything from washing machines to mobile phones — this is a significant logistical task involving a large number of containers.
In recent years, Elretur has purchased hundreds of containers, and now another 130 are being added, bringing the total close to 1,000. This covers more than 90% of the need, while the remaining share is rented.
“We gain many advantages by investing in more containers. From a logistics perspective, it gives us greater flexibility because we can decide ourselves where the containers are best used at any given time. It also allows us to protect the electronics better, for example by making it easier to store items during peak periods. This leads to more appropriate handling and, in turn, creates the potential for even more reuse,” says Morten Harboe-Jepsen, CEO of Retur, of which Elretur is part.
In 2025, Elretur opened Denmark’s largest reuse facility for electronics, Electronic Reuse & Recycling, in collaboration with HJHansen Recycling. The facility is located in Nørre Aaby on Funen and handles 13,500 tonnes of small and medium-sized electronic waste annually.
In addition to increased logistical flexibility and better protection of electronic products, the investment in the many containers also improves the financial setup, as owning containers is cheaper than renting them in the long term. Elretur has therefore set a goal of owning all its containers within a few years and is now close to achieving it.
Once again, the order for the many containers is being handled by the Funen-based family-owned company NIPA. NIPA has already delivered 550 containers to Elretur, and with the new order the total delivery will reach 680 containers. Elretur is highly satisfied with both the handling of the task and the collaboration with NIPA.
“We operate on behalf of more than 1,300 members who expect cost efficiency and streamlined workflows. That also means we place high demands on our partners and suppliers — and NIPA fully meets those demands,” says Morten Harboe-Jepsen.
“We are pleased with the trust Elretur has placed in NIPA. We compete with large international container manufacturers, so this is a strong endorsement for everyone in the company. At the same time, we are proud that the containers are produced in Denmark, which ensures high quality and short delivery times because production takes place locally on Funen,” says Jesper Skytte, Managing Director at NIPA.
Retur is Denmark’s largest family of Producer Responsibility Organisations. The organisation helps companies meet their legal obligations efficiently, responsibly and in one coordinated setup.
Retur covers electronics, packaging, batteries, fishing gear and textiles through five schemes — including Elretur, which supports companies in managing electronic waste for reuse, recycling and environmentally responsible disposal.
As a non-profit organisation with more than 20 years of experience, Retur gives companies access to knowledge, expertise and an international network — always with a focus on returning as many resources as possible to circulation.
Elretur is Denmark’s largest and oldest scheme for electronic waste, with 20 years of experience in Extended Producer Responsibility.
Elretur manages Extended Producer Responsibility for more than 1,300 companies across industries within electrical and electronic equipment.
Elretur handles more than 80% of electronic waste in Denmark, which is collected, registered and treated through the country’s recycling centres — efficiently and in an environmentally responsible way.
Elretur has increased the amount of reused electronics tenfold since 2017 and today recycles 84% of products — above the EU average of 80%.
NIPA ApS is a 100% Danish family-owned machine factory located in Tommerup on Funen, where the company was founded in 1986. Today, the company employs more than 25 people in production.
The company’s two main product areas are the production of containers and lighting masts.
NIPA produces containers and sorting systems for recycling in all shapes and sizes. In addition, the company produces and markets a very broad range of lighting masts with a complete accessories programme, including mast arms, crossarms and mast foundations.
NIPA also produces a range of custom masts to order, including city gate masts, decorative masts and traffic signal masts.
Read more at www.nipa.dk
Camilla Falkenberg, Press and Communications Manager at Retur
Mobile: +45 43 14 08 94
Email: cf@retur.dk
Visit www.elretur.dk
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