Against the background of the legal requirements of the Packaging Ordinance, since January 2003 a far-reaching compulsory deposit for certain one-way drinks packaging applies in Germany.
For distributors of compulsory-deposit one-way drinks packaging extensive collection obligations apply. Each distributor shall be obligated to accept returned one-way drinks packaging made of such types of materials (glass, plastics, metals, composite material materials) as the distributor supplies in his own product range.
More on collection obligations...
For realization of the extensive
deposit-refunding obligations applying within the drinks economy,
in the year 2005 DPG Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH was established on
the initiative of the German trade sector and the drink industry.
The DPG provides the legal and organizational framework for
settlement of the deposits (deposit clearing) between those
companies participating in the system. To this end DPG has
developed a set of standards for a uniform labelling procedure that
enables the automatic collection of one-way drinks packaging
subject to compulsory deposit.
DPG does not, however, discharge the function of a central
clearing organisation that undertakes settlement of the deposits
for those companies involved. Instead it provides the participating
companies a framework system within which DPG participants can
undertake this settlement between themselves.