What Retur does

Retur is a Danish non-profit, member-owned organization headquartered in Taastrup, Denmark, founded in 2003 to administer Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on behalf of companies placing electronics, batteries, packaging, fishing gear, and textiles on the Danish market. It operates as a family of five specialized Producer Responsibility Organisations (Elretur, Batteriretur, Emballageretur, Fiskeriretur, and Tekstilretur) under a shared secretariat, serving 2,900+ member companies. Elretur alone manages EPR for over 1,300 companies and handles more than 80% of Denmark's electronic waste stream.

The organization's core technology stack consists of Returportalen (a self-service reporting platform where members register via CVR number and MitID Erhverv, submit ongoing quantity reports, and download compliance documentation) and MitRetur (the member portal hosting environmental emblems, reporting guides, and eco-modulated fee guides). It co-developed affaldsanmodning.dk with ERP Denmark for business packaging waste compensation claims. On the physical side, Retur operates the Electronic Reuse & Recycling (ERR) facility in Nørre Aaby on Funen jointly with HJHansen Recycling, processing 13,500 tonnes of small and medium-sized electronic waste annually and saving an estimated 100,000 products from the waste stream. The container fleet of close to 1,000 units covers over 90% of operational need.

Retur's business model combines a fixed DKK 1,500 annual membership fee covering access to all five PROs, with variable environmental fees calculated per scheme based on product quantities, materials, and eco-modulation tier (a 35% surcharge applies to red-level packaging). Authority charges to Danish Producer Responsibility (DPA) and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency are passed through unchanged. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct outreach, digital self-service registration, and guided onboarding. Cross-border Nordic and pan-European EPR is delivered through the Nordic PRO Solutions partnership (with NORSIRK, El-Kretsen, TMR, Sumi, and Elker Oy) and the Pronexa network. As a non-profit, Retur reinvests member fees into infrastructure, fee reduction, and member services rather than distributing profit.

Name

Retur

Legal name

Retur

Website

https://retur.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retur is a Danish non-profit, member-owned organization that administers Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations for electronics, batteries, packaging, fishing gear, and textiles on behalf of 2,900+ member companies through five specialized Producer Responsibility Organisations and a shared digital reporting platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Producer Responsibility Services

NAICS

Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (56), All Other Waste Management Services (56299)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain & Product Environmental Compliance (RoHS, WEEE, Packaging EPR, Eco-Design/Labeling Regulations) (EUAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC), Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

Keywords

• Extended producer responsibility
• Producer responsibility organisation
• Waste management compliance
• Epr reporting services
• Circular economy compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Taastrup

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Fixed annual membership fee of DKK 1,500 per year giving access to all schemes within Retur, regardless of how many EPR obligations a company has. Covers access to Returportalen, guidance, ongoing updates and full range of services.
2. Environmental fees: Variable fees calculated on the basis of products, materials and quantities placed on the market. Fees finance collection, transport, sorting, treatment, reuse, recycling, documentation and administration. For packaging, eco-modulated fees apply based on green/yellow/red classification. For fishing gear, fees depend on durability, reusability, repairability and recyclability.
3. Authority charges (passed through): Companies with EPR obligations pay registration and administration fees to Danish Producer Responsibility (DPA) and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. These are set by authorities and passed through by Retur.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Retur is a non-profit organisation that manages Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations on behalf of companies placing products on the Danish market. Through five Producer Responsibility Organisations (Elretur for electronics, Batteriretur for batteries, Emballageretur for packaging, Fiskeriretur for fishing gear, and Tekstilretur for textiles), members receive registration, reporting, fee management and waste handling services via a unified digital platform. The organisation finances collection, sorting, treatment, reuse and recycling through membership fees and eco-modulated environmental fees.

Product overview

Retur operates Denmark's largest family of five Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs): Elretur for electronics, Batteriretur for batteries, Emballageretur for packaging, Tekstilretur for textiles, and Fiskeriretur for fishing gear. Companies access these PROs through a single Retur membership (DKK 1,500/year) that provides unified administration via Returportalen and MitRetur member portal. The platform enables reporting, compliance management, and eco-modulated fee calculation across all EPR areas. The recent Nordic PRO Solutions expansion enables cross-border EPR management across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Notable infrastructure includes the Electronic Reuse & Recycling (ERR) facility for electronics, and the affaldsanmodning.dk system for business packaging waste compensation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nordic PRO Solutions: Collaboration between Producer Responsibility Organisations in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland for coordinated EPR management across Nordic markets.
• Electronic Reuse & Recycling (ERR)
• Returportalen
• MitRetur
• Affaldsanmodning

Products and services

• Elretur (Electronics EPR) Producer Responsibility Organisation for electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), providing EPR management, collection and recycling for over 1,300 Danish companies producing, importing or selling electronic products, handling over 80% of electronic waste in Denmark.
• Batteriretur (Battery EPR) Producer Responsibility Organisation for batteries covering all five EU battery categories: portable batteries, LMT batteries, industrial batteries, SLI batteries, and EV batteries.
• Emballageretur (Packaging EPR) Producer Responsibility Organisation for packaging, helping companies with reporting, eco-modulated fees, and management of packaging waste across all material types with over 2,000 member companies.
• Fiskeriretur (Fishing Gear EPR) Producer Responsibility Organisation for fishing gear containing plastic, handling take-back schemes and port-based collection across 16 Danish ports for commercial and recreational fishing gear.
• Tekstilretur (Textiles and Footwear EPR) Producer Responsibility Organisation for textiles and footwear, preparing companies for upcoming EU-mandated textile EPR requirements with pre-registration available.
• Returportalen
• MitRetur
• affaldsanmodning.dk
• Electronic Reuse & Recycling (ERR) facility Denmark's first reuse facility for small and medium-sized electronic waste, jointly operated with HJHansen Recycling, processing 13,500 tonnes annually with capacity to save 100,000 electronic products from the waste stream per year.
• Nordic PRO Solutions Cross-border EPR management platform covering Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland through collaboration with NORSIRK, El-Kretsen, TMR, Sumi and Elker Oy, enabling companies to manage EPR obligations across Nordic markets through one point of contact.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% recycling rate for electronics — above the EU average of 80%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Elker OycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Finnish PRO managing producer responsibility for electronics and batteries. Joined Nordic PRO Solutions in March 2026, completing full Nordic coverage for electronics, batteries and packaging EPR.
• HJHansen RecyclingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint venture partner in Electronic Reuse & Recycling (ERR) facility in Nørre Aaby on Funen. The facility handles 13,500 tonnes of electronic waste annually. Partnership established on Elretur's initiative with costs in the double-digit million range.
• NORSIRKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian Producer Responsibility Organisation. Part of Nordic PRO Solutions — a formalized collaboration between PROs in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, providing coordinated EPR across the Nordic region with one point of contact and harmonized reporting.
• El-KretsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish Producer Responsibility Organisation for electronics. Part of Nordic PRO Solutions — a formalized collaboration between PROs in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, providing coordinated EPR across the Nordic region.
• TMRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish Producer Responsibility Organisation. Part of Nordic PRO Solutions — a formalized collaboration between PROs in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, providing coordinated EPR across the Nordic region.
• Sumi OycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish Producer Responsibility Organisation. Part of Nordic PRO Solutions — a formalized collaboration between PROs in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, providing coordinated EPR across the Nordic region.
• PronexacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean EPR specialist network providing access to local PROs and EPR partners across EU markets, Switzerland and UK. Retur refers companies to Pronexa for EPR obligations outside the Nordic region. Retur collaborates with Pronexa AG.
• NIPA ApSminorOthersDanish family-owned machine factory in Tommerup on Funen. Supplier of containers and sorting systems for recycling. Delivered 680 containers to Elretur. Produces containers and lighting masts with 25+ employees.
• Dansk Mode & TextilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish fashion and textile industry organization. Tekstilretur works closely with industry stakeholders including Dansk Mode & Textil for guidance and collaboration on textile EPR preparation.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• El-Kretsen: Swedish PRO for electronics EPR and Nordic PRO Solutions partner. Directly comparable to Retur/Elretur as a member-owned, non-profit electronics compliance organization with similar fee and reporting model.
• Recupel: Belgian PRO for electronics and batteries. Comparable to Elretur/Batteriretur as a member-funded, non-profit WEEE and battery compliance scheme operating a take-back and reporting infrastructure.
• Wecycle: Dutch PRO for electronics and small appliances. Comparable to Retur/Elretur as a national non-profit compliance scheme with producer registration, eco-modulation, and documented collection/recycling outcomes.
• stiftung ear: German PRO for electrical and electronic equipment. Comparable to Elretur as a large national, non-profit WEEE compliance scheme serving thousands of producers with eco-modulated fees and reporting platforms.
• NORSIRK: Norwegian Producer Responsibility Organisation and Nordic PRO Solutions partner. Directly comparable to Retur as a national PRO family managing electronics, batteries, and packaging EPR on a non-profit basis.
• Elker Oy: Finnish PRO for electronics and batteries that joined Nordic PRO Solutions in March 2026. Directly comparable to Retur/Elretur and Batteriretur with overlapping electronics/batteries EPR scope.
• Sumi Oy: Finnish PRO member of Nordic PRO Solutions. Comparable to Retur as a Nordic non-profit Producer Responsibility Organisation serving Finnish producers with the same compliance-reporting model.
• ERP Denmark: Danish branch of European PRO network and direct competitor to Emballageretur for packaging EPR. Also a co-development partner on the affaldsanmodning.dk platform, illustrating close competitive and collaborative overlap with Retur.
• TMR (Täta Returbolag): Swedish PRO for packaging and other waste streams, partner in Nordic PRO Solutions. Comparable to Retur/Emballageretur as a non-profit, member-funded compliance scheme operator.

Regional players

• Pronexa: European EPR specialist network that Retur refers international companies to. Comparable as a cross-border EPR services network, though operating more as a referral/coordination layer than a national compliance scheme.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retur-danmark

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries5 records

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 Retur