On an ordinary day, millions of households in Romania cook using oil. What may seem like a simple gesture hides a huge challenge: every liter of oil poured down the drain can pollute up to a million liters of water, impacting entire ecosystems.

This raised a simple yet essential question: how can we turn this waste into a resource?

The answer came in 2019, when Auchan Romania launched the first national program for the collection and recycling of used cooking oil. Since then, the project has grown steadily, becoming an example of best practices for the retail industry and a model of circular economy applied to everyday life.

How the collection and recycling program works

The project is currently available in 43 Auchan stores across Romania (34 Auchan and ATAC hypermarkets, 8 supermarkets, and 1 MyAuchan), operating continuously. The process is simple and consumer-friendly:

• the used oil is cooled, filtered, and stored in clear plastic containers;
• customers drop it off at the Customer Service desk;
• the partner company, Respiră Verde, a national leader in the collection and valorization of used oils, collects the oil and transforms it into biofuel;

The formula is clear: 1 liter of collected oil = 1 liter of biodiesel, and this biodiesel produces 2.3 kg less CO₂ than diesel fuel.

Program Results (2019–2025)

•  1.6 million liters of used cooking oil collected, with the participation of over 1.3 million Romanians.
• 430,000 liters collected in 2024 alone, a 40% increase compared to 2023.
• Pollution of 430 billion liters of water prevented in just one year.
• 930 tons of CO₂ emissions avoided by converting the oil into biofuel in a single year.
• In total, from 2019 to July 2025: 3,390 tons of CO₂ avoided and 1.5 trillion liters of water protected.

These figures demonstrate not only the scale of the initiative but also the real behavioral change within the community.

Community involvement and strategic partnerships

Another key element of the program’s success was partner involvement and rewarding customers. Brands such as Fairy and Aqua Carpatica offered benefits to customers who handed in their used oil, encouraging active participation.

The project is promoted through national media campaigns, social media, informative in-store materials, and CSR initiatives, as well as through direct employee involvement. The result: a transparent program, widely recognized and supported.

Impact on the environment, community, and company

The used cooking oil collection and recycling project has a real and visible impact on the environment, the community, and the company, turning an apparently small habit into a change of significant scale.

For the environment, the initiative means more than just numbers. Every liter of oil handed in represents a concrete step toward reducing water and soil pollution, while also transforming a hazardous waste into a clean energy resource in the form of biofuel. What could have become a source of contamination instead becomes a sustainable solution for the future.

For the community, the program brings educational and inspirational effects. People become aware of the impact of their daily actions, change their consumption behaviors, and actively engage in protecting natural resources. Additionally, through campaigns and rewards, participants are motivated to return consistently, turning responsibility into a daily habit.

For the company, the benefits are equally significant. The project strengthens Auchan’s reputation as a sustainability leader, aligning its actions with circular economy and climate goals. Moreover, official recognition—such as being included in the Top 5 national water protection champions at the 2023 Sustainable Development Gala—confirms the value and relevance of this initiative.

Through this approach, a simple gesture—collecting used oil—becomes a success story of how the environment, the community, and the company can all benefit together.

Curated by Auchan Retail România