TOMRA is a global company for 'reverse vending' machines that collect used beverage containers. Feed in an empty bottle or can and a deposit is returned, circulating the resource. TOMRA's reverse vending captures over 50 billion beverage containers a year for recycling across more than 60 markets, achieving recovery rates of 90% and above where deposit-return systems (DRS) run well. Its 2025 annual report, 'Circular Foundations,' reported advancing circular solutions amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty. With the city of Lisbon it is cutting the nightly litter of single-use cups from public spaces. Aiming to become a 'fully circular business,' it pledges to take responsibility for its products and parts.
B
NARRATIVE VALUE
Certainty
●●● high
●●● high
ABCDEFG
There is no confirmed −; independently verified + decide the position (B). No unreachable strike-through.= non-additive meter
As of: 2026-Q3Status: ActiveCeiling reason: No confirmed −
History2026-Q3BHistory grows each quarter
TOMRA Systems: Machines that take back your used bottles, turning the circular economy. The letter is B; certainty is high. Unconfirmed concerns are placed under “Watching.” (As of 2026-Q3; estimate based on public information.)
Main narrative
One person’s story (N1)
+ A single story
Beverage containers that would be thrown away, littered or landfilled. Through TOMRA's reverse vending and deposit systems, consumers return containers and circulate them as resources. The benefit appears for nature: it captures over 50 billion a year across more than 60 markets, with 90%+ recovery where deposit systems run.
Source nature: TOMRA / P1 First-party / independent (reporting). Positive effects are not used to offset negatives.
Positive / negative effects
+ effects
- Partnering with the city of Lisbon and AHRESP to cut the nightly litter of single-use cups with a smart deposit system.P1 First-party / TOMRA
− effects (confirmed)
- No confirmed −.
Watching (unconfirmed; not counted in the assessment)
- A listed, for-profit company (main business is machine sales + system operation)
- the quality of regeneration/circularity after collection
- limits in regions without a deposit system.
Looking ahead (not included in the assessment)
- Making post-collection regeneration/circularity quality visible; expanding to regions without DRS; full plastics circularity; reducing machines' environmental footprint.
A second look
The plus is an effect on nature—collecting beverage containers that would otherwise litter or be landfilled, and circulating the resource—backed by the scale of 50 billion a year, 60 markets and 90% recovery. But it is a listed, for-profit company whose main business is selling machines and operating deposit systems. The quality of actual regeneration/circularity after collection, and the limits in regions without a system, are watch items. Weighing the genuine, large-scale circularity plus, B/high.
Sources
How to read this assessment
A Independently verified +, with no confirmed −
B Leans +, with independent backing
C Mixed. A confirmed − sets the ceiling, or much is unverified
D A serious confirmed − sets the ceiling
E A serious − reaches the core of the organization
F Serious and systemic, with little redeeming +
G Only extreme cases
Out of scope An entity whose core purpose is illegal
On hold Independent evidence is scarce on both + and −
- Reachable upper bound (ceiling): a confirmed − sets the ceiling, and independently verified + decide the position within it. + do not cancel out −.
- The weight of evidence is not symmetric: only confirmed − are counted; the volume of disputes or allegations goes under “Watching.” + are counted from independent evidence, while an organization’s own PR is treated as “reference.”
- Size is not value: scale is not used in the assessment. Matters that stay within money or competition—investors, shareholders, sanctions, trade secrets—are also excluded.
- The letter (assessment) and certainty (how reliable the information is) are separate axes.
This is a translation; the Japanese version is authoritative. The assessments here are generated automatically by AI based on published criteria. The operator does not alter individual results. Because they are AI-generated they may contain errors, and they are opinion and commentary, not statements of fact. Where evidence is insufficient, the entry is marked “On hold.” Requests for correction are accepted via the form.
Terms: Narrative Value = an assessment (A–G) of the distance between the narrative an organization tells and its reality / Ceiling meter = a visualization of the reachable upper bound / Watching = unconfirmed matters not counted / Protected stakeholders = people, animals, nature, and future generations. | Generated by: AI | As of: 2026-Q3 | Back to top