SIGRE
SIGRE is a Madrid-based, Spanish non-profit founded in 2001 that runs the country's extended producer responsibility scheme for collecting and recycling post-consumer medicine packaging and pharmaceutical waste through the pharmacy network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersMadrid, Spain
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SIGRE does
SIGRE is a Spanish non-profit organization founded in 2001 and headquartered in Madrid that recycles medicine packaging and pharmaceutical waste to protect public health and the environment. The organization operates an extended producer responsibility (EPR) collection scheme for the Spanish pharmaceutical sector, channeling post-consumer medicine packaging and unused or expired medications from consumers through the country's pharmacy network into treatment and recycling streams. Its core operational activity involves coordinating collection points (anchored in retail pharmacies), transporting segregated waste, and processing it through licensed recycling and disposal pathways under Spanish and EU pharmaceutical and packaging-waste regulation.
SIGRE's economic model is that of a producer-responsibility organization rather than a conventional business: funding flows from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors — obligated under EPR rules to finance end-of-life packaging management — rather than from end-user pricing. Pricing, fee schedules, and contract structures were not disclosed in the available data, and no direct revenue, budget, or financial filings were available. The organization is privately held (non-profit), headquartered in Madrid, and operates within the 11-50 employee band, consistent with a lean national coordinator rather than a vertically integrated waste-processing operator. No information on its technology stack, recycling facilities, management team, partnerships, or downstream processors was disclosed beyond the basic firmographic record.
SIGRE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SIGRE
- Website
- https://sigre.es
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SIGRE is a Madrid-based, Spanish non-profit founded in 2001 that runs the country's extended producer responsibility scheme for collecting and recycling post-consumer medicine packaging and pharmaceutical waste through the pharmacy network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SIGRE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmaceutical Waste Management
- NAICS
- Waste Collection (5621)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Waste Audits, Diversion Tracking & ESG Reporting (On-site Data Programs) (BPABALAL)
Keywords
Where SIGRE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madrid
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
SIGRE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
SIGRE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SIGRE is a Spanish non-profit organization that organizes and manages the nationwide collection, recovery, and environmentally responsible treatment of medicine packaging and pharmaceutical waste. It works with the pharmaceutical industry and Spain's pharmacy network to provide citizens with a convenient channel to return empty containers and expired or unused medicines, protecting public health and the environment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SIGRE Medicine and Packaging Waste Collection Scheme (Punto SIGRE)
Companies that use SIGRE
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
SIGRE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SIGRE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
SIGRE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Stena Recycling: Major European recycling and waste management company operating across multiple waste streams including hazardous and industrial waste. Comparable to SIGRE as a participant in regulated European waste streams, though operating as a commercial entity across much broader categories.
- Veolia Environmental Services: Global environmental services and waste management company with significant hazardous waste handling capabilities in Europe. Comparable to SIGRE because it processes regulated pharmaceutical and hazardous waste streams that overlap with SIGRE's specialty area, even though it operates commercially at far greater scale.
- Citeo: France's leading packaging EPR organization, handling household packaging recycling at national scale. Comparable to SIGRE as an EPR-driven recycling scheme, though covering packaging more broadly rather than specializing in pharmaceuticals.
- Punto Verde (DSD): Germany's Duales System Deutschland, the original Green Dot packaging EPR scheme. Comparable to SIGRE as a founding European EPR organization for packaging waste, but operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
Direct peers
- ECOEMBES: Spanish non-profit that manages the recycling of packaging waste in Spain. While broader than pharma, it is directly comparable because it operates the same kind of EPR recycling system within the same Spanish market and regulatory framework as SIGRE.
- Cyclamed: French non-profit pharma packaging take-back and recycling organization. It is the closest functional analogue to SIGRE, running a national EPR scheme for unused medicines and their packaging in France, with a similar non-profit, member-funded structure.
Emerging players
- RetuRO Sistem Garanție Returnare: Romania's national deposit-return system administrator. Comparable as a newer European EPR-style organization for packaging recovery, providing a useful benchmark for how newer EU member-state schemes are structured and operated relative to SIGRE.
Regional players
- Valorpac: Portuguese non-profit managing industrial and commercial packaging waste recovery. It is comparable to SIGRE as a regional Iberian EPR scheme operating under similar EU packaging waste regulations, though focused on non-pharma packaging.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
SIGRE social profiles
Digital presenceSIGRE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SIGRE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
SIGRE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SIGRE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SIGRE
What does SIGRE do?
SIGRE is a Spanish non-profit organization that organizes and manages the nationwide collection, recovery, and environmentally responsible treatment of medicine packaging and pharmaceutical waste. It works with the pharmaceutical industry and Spain's pharmacy network to provide citizens with a convenient channel to return empty containers and expired or unused medicines, protecting public health and the environment.
When was SIGRE founded?
SIGRE was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SIGRE based?
SIGRE is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, in the Europe region.
Who are SIGRE's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Stena Recycling, Veolia Environmental Services, Citeo and Punto Verde (DSD). Direct peers are ECOEMBES and Cyclamed. RetuRO Sistem Garanție Returnare is listed as an emerging player. Valorpac is listed as a regional player.
Does SIGRE have an API?
No public API is recorded for SIGRE.
What industry is SIGRE in?
SIGRE's product category is Pharmaceutical Waste Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABALAL, Waste Audits, Diversion Tracking & ESG Reporting (On-site Data Programs). Its NAICS code is 5621 and its SIC code is 2890.