March 2024: political trilogue on the European Packaging Regulation

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.

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.

For most consumers, the path of emptied one-way beverage bottles or cans ends at the reverse vending machine. Few people know that there is a much more exciting story waiting behind the slot of the reverse vending machine. We take a look behind the scenes.

Important notice to all producers and importers of beverages:
Since 1 July 2022 First Distributors are legally obliged to register in the packaging register LUCID!

The new Packaging Act of 9 June 2021, published in the Federal Law Gazette (Bun-desgesetzblatt, BGBl) on 14 June 2021, came into force on 3 July 2021. The changes in the Packaging Act also affect the distribution of beverage in disposable packaging.

You can identify single-use beverage packaging by the DPG Logo showing bottle, can and arrow.

A deposit of at least 0.25 euros is charged for all marked single-use beverage packaging, regardless of whether it is a can or a bottle. These bottles and cans can be returned nationwide and are filled only once and recycled after return, e.g. into new disposable beverage packaging. You can find out more about the recycling process in our video.