Useful Information

For almost 20 years now, the German deposit system for one-way beverage packaging has been one of the most efficient deposit and return systems in Europe. With around 20 billion packaging items collected annually and a return rate of over 98 per cent, it is a mainstay of the German circular economy. The new EU Packaging Ordinance (PPWR) confirms the importance of such established systems and explicitly contains grandfathering provisions.

 This makes it all the more important that national implementation regulations support the full maintenance of the German deposit system. 

Berlin/13 January 2026. DPG Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH (DPG) is entering the new year with changes at advisory board level. Since 1 January 2026, Marcus Rohde serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board, having previously held the position of Deputy Chairman. Marcel von Haber has assumed the role of Deputy Chairman as of the beginning of the year. Both have been members of the advisory board since 2023. The former chairman, Uwe Seiler, has retired. He had been a member of the committee since the founding of DPG. The management of the company continues to be headed by Susanne Kürschner.

What to consider when labelling one-way beverage packaging

Packaging labelling may be on the verge of change: A GS1 Germany initiative aims to allow manufacturers to use 2D codes (such as QR or Data Matrix) as an alternative to the traditional 1D barcode.

While this should offer new digital opportunities – such as more data in less space – it also raises important questions for deposit-bearing one-way beverage packaging and their return within the DPG system.

The German deposit system DPG Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH has turned 18 years old – and has therefore completed the step to adulthood! It was one of the first deposit systems to be established, and it is considered one of the most successful ones in Europe. The DPG scheme was a pioneer in the implementation of a new principle devised by a young Swede, put into action for the first time in a large European market by the then German Minister for the Environment, Klaus Töpfer. Following this proposition, it was no longer just the authorities that were to ensure better waste management, but also the manufacturers themselves. He called it “extended producer responsibility” (EPR) and coined a new guiding principle for the sector. A short time later, at the United Nations Conference in Rio in 1992, the precautionary and polluter pays principle was discussed internationally for the first time.