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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.
Important changes and their effects
Particularly important for Germany: the existing deposit system will essentially remain in its current form. This confirms a key demand of the DPG (Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH) and ensures that established successful national systems remain in place.
The regulation has already formally entered into force, but it will become effective only in 18 months, i.e. in mid-2026. In Germany, the Federal Ministry for the Environment is already working on a revision of the Packaging Act in order to transpose the new EU requirements into national law. Several new obligations of the PPWR are subject to long transitional periods, which in some cases extend until 2040.
Which reforms are relevant for the German deposit system?
- The DPG was actively involved in the European legislative process and, together with other market and system participants, was able to assert some important aspects for the German market:Maintaining the already established deposit/security label at national level: a harmonized EU label can be specified as a supplement at the national level.
- Dealing with very small packaging (minimum volume of less than 0.1 l): These can be exempted by the member states’ national governments from participation in the deposit system for single-use beverage containers. The DPG is in favor of this as, among other things, even applying the deposit/security label would be technically difficult.
- No mandatory expenditure on public communication: Public communication measures can be derived depending on the actual needs in the individual member states.
- Discontinuation of tax regulations on the deposit amount: There is no intervention in the existing regulations at national level.
- Interoperability: Interoperability is limited to border regions and initially to the return of foreign deposit containers without mandatory deposit compensation.
What’s next?
Despite these successes, a number of questions that need to be clarified in the coming months remain. These include necessary details on national implementation, possible exemptions and the technical feasibility of certain measures. It remains crucial that all relevant stakeholders work closely together in the coming months. The DPG will continue the dialog with the Federal Environment Ministry and act as a sought-after sparring partner in order to make its many years of experience available for a practical implementation into national law.
As the largest economy in the EU, Germany can look back on important experience and successes from almost 20 years of practical implementation. Every year, around 20 billion single-use beverage containers are processed via more than 40,000 RVMs and supplementary counting centers using the DPG system. The system’s return rate of more than 98% underlines the broad consumer acceptance and ecological success, which makes a significant contribution to reducing waste and conserving resources.
You can find an overview of the sustainability aspects of our system here. Oder here