Useful Information

As has been expected, on December 16, 2024, the European Council officially adopted the version of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) that had previously been approved by the European Parliament in April. The new 71 articles of the regulation set ambitious reuse targets, tighten the requirements for single-use packaging and oblige market players to reduce packaging to the necessary minimum.

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?

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?

The plans for a Europe-wide mandatory deposit went one step ahead – what is the current state?

After more than four years of intensive discussions, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have agreed on a provisional version of a new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) in the trilogue procedure.
Like many other market and system participants, the DPG was involved in the preparation of the specifications with proposals. 

The plans for introducing a Europe-wide mandatory deposit are in the European trilogue process - what does this mean?
The much-discussed European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which among other things includes a mandatory deposit throughout Europe for one-way beverage packaging, has reached a decisive coordination phase - the so-called trilogue.

Cornerstones of the new EU packaging regulation defined

At their plenary session on November 22, 2023, the 705 members of the European Parliament (EP) voted on the European Commission's draft of the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) within the first reading. The PPWR’s aim is to realign the principles for handling and disposing of packaging in the member states of the European Union. After a decision by the Council in decembre 2023, the trilogue is expected to follow, which should then be completed in February 2024.

At the start of 2024, milk, mixed milk beverages and all drinkable milk products offered in one-way plastic beverage bottles with a filling volume of 0.1 to 3.0 litres will carry the DPG deposit logo! According to the German Packaging Act (VerpackG), these beverages become subject to the mandatory deposit and thus integrated into the DPG return and deposit system.

DPG provides additional food for thought
The draft of a European-wide binding packaging wate directive (PPWR) presented by the EU Commission in November 2022 - we reported in the article of 15.12.2022 - has stimulated an intensive discussion about the future of packaging market regulation. The DPG has also taken a position in an official statement.

Unique - visible – clear

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.

The main goal is the avoidance of packaging
The EU Commission has presented the long-awaited first draft for an EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR), which is to transpose the requirements of the previous directive into an EU regulation that is directly applicable in the member states. The aim is to reduce the continuously increasing per capita volume of (disposable) packaging in each member state. Deposit and return systems are recognised as key players in ensuring sustainable material cycles.