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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 labelling of one-way beverage packaging subjected to a mandatory deposit is a central element of the DPG System. Beverage producers and importers who decide to participate in the DPG System undertake to label their mandatory deposit one-way beverage packaging according to precise specifications. This is the only way they can be recognised in the DPG System and integrated into the successful deposit cycle. The use of the DPG logo is therefore mandatory for official participation in the DPG System. This involves in the right to sell one-way beverage packaging that is subject to a mandatory deposit on the German market. A good system that has proven itself over many years to support the circular economy.
What makes the DPG logo so distinctive and secure?
The legally prescribed labelling of one-way beverage packaging subject to mandatory deposit in Germany essentially consists of the well-known DPG logo with bottle, can and arrow as well as an article number (Global Trade Item Number, GTIN) generated exclusively for the German market, which is printed in the form of a barcode on the label of a plastic bottle or directly on a beverage can. For security reasons, the use of both features, which are additionally linked to a special DPG ink, is reserved exclusively for certified label printers and can manufacturers - just as with banknotes or stamps representing a specific monetary value.
Video: „Marking of beverage packaging in the DPG System“
What functions are linked to the DPG logo?
Beverage packaging labeled with the DPG marking is intended exclusively for distribution to German end consumers and thus not for export. If manufacturers wish to sell individual beverage products outside of Germany, packaging with and without the DPG logo must be produced, because the advantages of the marking only unfold usefully within the framework of the German one-way deposit system coordinated by the DPG. This essentially involves
- the legally prescribed identification of one-way beverage packaging with a deposit,
- the display of the deposit value as well as the right to a deposit refund when returning labelled packaging,
- ensuring that the DPG System provides for proper deposit reimbursement and secure deposit clearing,
- protection against misuse of the system through clear verification of the DPG Logo, DPG Ink and GTIN barcode at DPG-certified reverse vending machines or at DPG Sorting Plants
- the clear allocation of each package to the responsible First Distributor via the GTIN
Product labelling creates clarity in the deposit process - for the sake of the environment
The deposit system for labelled one-way beverage packaging set up by the DPG and already integrated into sustainable material cycles since 2006 makes a significant contribution to waste reduction and resource conservation. The high return rates underline the broad consumer acceptance and the ecological success of the DPG System - also made possible by a small, unique symbol that by now should be familiar even to the youngest German consumers.