Sirkel

What Sirkel does

Sirkel is Norway's approved producer responsibility organization for glass and metal packaging, operating under Norwegian extended producer responsibility (EPR) law. The business consists of two primary legal entities: Sirkel Glass AS, which serves as the legally mandated return company (godkjent returselskap) for glass packaging, and Sirkel Materialgjenvinning AS, which operates the material recovery infrastructure. Sirkel serves over 2,000 member companies — producers, food manufacturers, beverage companies, and retailers that pay per-unit vederlag for placing glass packaging on the Norwegian market — and coordinates collection with municipal and inter-municipal waste companies through a network of over 1.2 million collection points, achieving a 95% return rate for beverage glass packaging.

The company operates a state-of-the-art sorting facility on Øra in Fredrikstad, opened in 2019, which is described as Europe's most advanced facility for glass and metal packaging sorting. The facility sorts glass into four fractions (clear/flint, amber, green, and raw material for foam glass production) and separates metal into magnetic and non-magnetic streams, processing approximately 106,000 tonnes annually. Sorted glass is exported primarily to European glassworks in Denmark and Portugal for new packaging production, while the finest crushed glass is supplied to Glasopor (now owned by Finnish Foamit Group following an August 2021 divestiture) for foam glass insulation. Studio Sirkel, a wholly-owned sub-brand established in 2021, operates Norway's only glassblowing workshop using 100% recycled household glass, producing handcrafted lamps, vases, and drinking glasses from electric furnaces supplied by Swedish company Essemce.

Sirkel's business model combines regulated membership fees (vederlag) administered through Grønt Punkt Norge with revenue from the sale of sorted recycled raw materials and a small consumer-facing product line. Membership fees scale with packaging volume placed on market, with a 95% return rate threshold qualifying members for environmental tax exemption. Sirkel has deployed the Sirkel Portal — a proprietary data platform built on Microsoft Power BI — that provides municipal suppliers with real-time delivery tracking, quality monitoring, and deviation analysis updated eight times daily. The company is ISO certified for quality (9001), environmental (14001), energy management (50001), and occupational health and safety (OHSAS 18001). Sirkel is privately held with no parent company, external investor, or public listing identified in the source data, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Sirkel

Legal name

Sirkel Glass AS

Website

https://sirkel.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sirkel is Norway's approved producer responsibility organization for glass and metal packaging, serving over 2,000 member companies and processing approximately 106,000 tonnes annually through its advanced Øra sorting facility in Fredrikstad. It also operates Studio Sirkel, Norway's only glassblowing workshop using 100% recycled household glass.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Producer Responsibility / Packaging Recycling Services

NAICS

Glass Container Manufacturing (327213)

SIC

Glass Containers (3221)

akta.pro primary industry

Glass Processing & Beneficiation Facilities (EUAIADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Returnable & Refillable Glass Packaging (Deposit, Reuse Systems) (IMALAEAF)

Keywords

• Producer responsibility services
• Glass packaging recycling
• Metal packaging recovery
• Circular economy services
• Packaging return scheme

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Producer Responsibility Fees (Vederlag): Companies that place glass packaging on the Norwegian market pay a fee per packaging unit to Sirkel Glass AS as a condition of membership. Grønt Punkt Norge administers membership and collects fees on behalf of Sirkel Glass. The fee structure incentivizes higher return rates, with 95% return rate on beverage packaging qualifying for environmental tax exemption.
2. Sale of Sorted Glass Raw Materials: Sorted glass fractions (green, amber, flint) are sold as raw materials to glassworks in Europe (primarily Denmark and Portugal). The highest quality glass is exported to European glassworks where it is melted down to produce new glass packaging. The finest crushed glass is sold to Glasopor for foam glass production.
3. Studio Sirkel (Handcrafted Products): Studio Sirkel produces handcrafted glass products (lamps, vases, drinking glasses) from 100% recycled glass collected from Norwegian households. Products are sold through selected municipal reuse shops across Norway and through the Studio Sirkel online store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sirkel operates the Norwegian statutory return scheme for glass packaging through Sirkel Glass AS and runs Europe's most advanced glass and metal sorting facility through Sirkel Materialgjenvinning AS, collecting and recycling approximately 106,000 tonnes of packaging annually from over 1.2 million collection points. Member companies pay producer responsibility fees per packaging unit placed on the Norwegian market, while sorted glass fractions are exported to European glassworks. Studio Sirkel produces handcrafted lamps, vases and drinking glasses from 100% recycled Norwegian household glass.

Product overview

Sirkel is a circular economy company consisting of two core operating companies: Sirkel Glass AS (approved return company for glass packaging) and Sirkel Materialgjenvinning AS (material recovery). The operations center on collecting glass and metal packaging from Norwegian households at the recycling facility in Fredrikstad, where 100% of sorted glass packaging is processed into new products. Supporting the core operations, Sirkel offers Sirkel Portal - a data analytics platform built on Power BI that provides suppliers with real-time delivery tracking and quality monitoring. Studio Sirkel, a sub-brand, operates as Norway's only glass workshop using 100% recycled glass, producing handcrafted products like the Smelta collection of lamps and vases. The company achieved 95% return rate for beverage packaging, enabling tax exemption, and processes approximately 106,000 tonnes annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Studio Sirkel: Norway's only glass workshop that uses 100% recycled glass from households across the country. Produces handcrafted drinking glasses and lamps from used wine bottles and jam jars.

Products and services

• Producer Responsibility Scheme for Glass Packaging (Sirkel Glass AS) Membership-based regulatory service for companies placing glass packaging on the Norwegian market. Members pay a fee per packaging unit placed on the market, administered through Grønt Punkt Norge, and gain access to the nationwide collection and recycling system with over 1.2 million collection points. Achieving the 95% return rate qualifies members for environmental tax exemption.
• Sorted Glass and Metal Raw Materials (Sirkel Materialgjenvinning AS) Sale of sorted glass fractions (green, amber, flint/clear) to European glassworks — primarily in Denmark and Portugal (including Verallia in Figueira da Foz) — for production of new glass packaging. Approximately two-thirds of collected glass is exported. The finest crushed glass fraction is supplied to Glasopor (Foamit Group) for foam glass insulation production. Sorted metal is supplied to Norsk Metallgjenvinning for recycling into new metal products.
• Studio Sirkel Handcrafted Recycled-Glass Products (Smelta Collection) Handcrafted lamps, vases, and drinking glasses produced from 100% recycled Norwegian household glass at Studio Sirkel's workshop on Vaterland in Fredrikstad. Glass is melted in Essemce electric furnaces with heat recovery, powered by 100% renewable energy. Products are distributed through selected municipal reuse shops across Norway and the Studio Sirkel online store.

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Foamit Group Oy (Part of Partnera Oyj)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2021Finnish foam glass producer that acquired 100% of Glasopor AS from Sirkel in August 2021. Glasopor converts the finest crushed glass from Sirkel's sorting facility into foam glass insulation for construction. The acquisition was completed as a strategic move by Foamit to expand in the Nordic market.
• Restaurant Rest (Oslo)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018High-end Oslo restaurant based on 'waste' food concepts. Sirkel collaborated in 2018 to produce glass tableware from 100% recycled Norwegian household glass in partnership with Odd Standard (design) and Formbar Glassverksted (production). This collaboration inspired the establishment of Studio Sirkel.
• Grønt Punkt NorgecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGrønt Punkt Norge administers membership and collects producer responsibility fees on behalf of Sirkel Glass AS through a shared membership system covering multiple packaging types. It is the primary administrative partner through which member companies join and pay fees to Sirkel.
• Christianslund Holding AScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwns the historic industrial buildings on Vaterland in Fredrikstad where Studio Sirkel's glassblowing workshop is located. Christianslund Holding's goal is to restore the buildings and support circular economy activities, handcraft traditions, and reuse/repair/reduce initiatives.
• Norsk MetallgjenvinningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTakes responsibility for the metal fraction after sorting at Sirkel's facility. Sirkel separates metal into magnetic and non-magnetic streams, after which Norsk Metallgjenvinning processes the metal for recycling into new metal products.
• Essemce AB (Sweden)coreTechnology or IntegrationSwedish company that developed the electric furnace equipment for Studio Sirkel's glassblowing workshop. The furnaces feature energy efficiency and heat recovery between ovens, representing the most climate-efficient equipment available for glass production.
• Odd Standard (Design Studio)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign studio that collaborated with Sirkel on the glass tableware project for Restaurant Rest, creating plates and carafes from 100% recycled household glass.
• Verallia (Figueira da Foz, Portugal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean glass manufacturing company that purchases sorted amber (brown) glass from Sirkel as raw material for new glass packaging production. Receives exports shipped from Borg Havn port in Fredrikstad.
• Borg Havn (Port of Borg)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPort facility in Fredrikstad used by Sirkel for shipping sorted glass (especially amber) to European glassworks. Handles loading operations for exports of recycled glass raw materials.
• Andersen & MørckcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping agency that coordinates vessel arrivals and port logistics for Sirkel's glass exports, serving as the link between Sirkel, the port, shipping companies, and European buyers.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ardagh Glass Packaging: Large European glass packaging producer with significant cullet procurement operations. Acts as both a potential customer and a competitor for high-quality recycled glass feedstock in the same European market Sirkel exports into.
• Verallia: Major European glass packaging manufacturer and one of Sirkel's downstream cullet customers (Figueira da Foz, Portugal). Operates closed-loop recycled-content programs that compete with or complement Sirkel-sourced cullet in Europe.
• Owens-Illinois (O-I Glass): Global glass container manufacturer with extensive cullet sourcing and in-house recycled-content operations. Competes for premium cullet demand and sets European price benchmarks relevant to Sirkel's export revenue.
• Grønt Punkt Norge: Norway's broader PRO administering membership and fee collection for packaging schemes including Sirkel Glass and Infinitum. Direct counterparty in Sirkel's revenue collection and the natural consolidator/parent entity in Norway's packaging-EPR ecosystem.

Others

• British Glass / Glass Recycling UK: UK industry body coordinating glass recycling infrastructure and policy advocacy. Useful peer for benchmarking on regulatory frameworks, cullet quality standards, and circular-economy positioning rather than direct commercial overlap.

Direct peers

• Infinitum: Norway's producer responsibility organization for metal beverage packaging. Sirkel and Infinitum operate as sibling PROs in Norway under the Grønt Punkt Norge membership umbrella, sharing the same regulatory framework, member base (beverage/food producers), and 95% return-rate target for tax exemption.
• RetuRO Sistem Garanție Returnare: Romania's approved administrator for the national Deposit-Return System covering glass, plastic, and metal beverage packaging. Closest international analog to Sirkel's role as a regulated return-and-recycling operator with mandatory producer membership.
• Glasopor / Foamit Group: Finnish foam-glass insulation producer (Foamit Group) that acquired 100% of Glasopor AS from Sirkel in 2021. Receives the finest crushed-glass fraction from Sirkel's Øra facility and represents a directly contracted downstream off-take partner.

Regional players

• Suomen Palautuspakkaus Oy (Palpa): Finland's producer responsibility organization running the beverage packaging return system. Operates an analogous regulated, member-funded recycling model in a neighboring Nordic market with significant glass-packaging flows.
• Returpack / Pantamera: Sweden's producer responsibility organization operating the Pantamera deposit-return scheme for beverage cans and PET. Comparable Nordic PRO with a regulated monopoly and per-unit fee revenue model similar to Sirkel's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sirkel_no
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcnxy6eoxgL03Le2QPp9kpw
• Facebookfacebook.com/sirkelglass
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sirkelglass
• Instagraminstagram.com/sirkel.glass
• TikToktiktok.com/@sirkel.glass

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sirkel