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.
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. A return rate of more than 96% demonstrates the system’s high level of acceptance and reliability in everyday life. 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.