Useful Information
Twenty years of the German one-way deposit system: a success story
The DPG Deposit System is celebrating its anniversary and, twenty years after its introduction, can look back on a positive track record. Returning single-use beverage containers subject to a deposit has long since become second nature to consumers in Germany. Return rates of 96%1 and more demonstrate the system’s high level of acceptance and reliability in the field. Around 20 billion containers are returned to the circular economy every year. Valuable materials are preserved and can be reused for new products. DPG also contributes its expertise at the European level.
1D Barcode or 2D Code? Focus on current developments.
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.
Industry Organization Formed: The European Deposit Return Systems Association (EDRSA)
Europe's leading deposit return systems operators and industry stakeholders have officially launched the European Deposit Return Systems Association (EDRSA), a new association dedicated to advancing best practices, policy development, and collaboration in the field of deposit return systems (DRS) within Europe. The DPG, operator of the nationwide German one-way deposit system, is one of the founding members and was also elected as a board member.
The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and its role in the DPG system
The bottle turns a few times to the left, then to the right, and is finally transported inside on the RVM’s conveyor belt – and in those RVMs with the latest technology, the bottles do not even need to be rotated! For most people this is an everyday situation when they return their deposit. The DPG logo and the barcode with the corresponding number on the label pave the way for the packaging to enter the RVM. A compartment opens, the bottle is swallowed and finally you can hear a crunch. Once scanned and registered, the bottle is crumpled up for easier transport and has entered a phase in the recycling system. But what does the mysterious number under the barcode on the label mean?
Technological top performers
Modern RVMs accomplish astonishing things
Our collected single-use bottles or cans disappear into the flashing shaft of the RVM. Then, occasionally, you hear a soft crunch. After a final push of the button, a perfectly calculated deposit receipt slides into your hand within seconds. How does it work? Or rather, why doesn't it work – for example, when we want to exchange the "wrong" packaging for deposit money?
Small but powerful - what a single icon can do
What does make the DPG logo so distinctive? Who is allowed to use it and what functions does it enable? Do label manufacturers and beverage can manufacturers who use the logo and the matching barcode have to fulfil special requirements? Here you can find out more about colours, shapes and binding framework conditions around the small “blue” deposit marking.