Useful Information
DPG 20th Anniversary – EU Commission and the Federal Ministry for the Environment praise the success of the German deposit system for one-way beverage Packaging
Berlin/19 June 2026. The DPG deposit system is celebrating its anniversary and, twenty years after its introduction, can look back on a thoroughly positive track record. At the anniversary celebrations in Berlin on 17 June 2026, the European Commission and the Federal Ministry emphasised the importance of the German deposit system for a functioning circular economy. The facts also bear this out: The return of beverage packaging subject to a single-use deposit has long since become second nature to consumers in Germany. Return rates of 96 per cent and above demonstrate the system’s high level of acceptance and reliability in everyday life. Around 20 billion items of packaging are returned to the circular economy each year. Valuable materials are preserved and can be reused to make new products.
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.
Deposit Systems across Europe: Cornerstone of the Circular Economy
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.
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?