Germany Packaging Machinery Market Research Report - PMMI

Material recycling of packaging —
Private end-consumer (data from Dec. 1999)
1991 1994 1996 1997 1998 2000
Consumption quota in %
Glass 53.7 70.1 80.8 83.3 84.8 85.9
Sheet metal 34.2 58.1 76.7 83.7 83.3 84.4
Aluminum 5.2 30.4 72.4 77.8 67.4 69.6
Plastics 3.2 52.6 62.4 66.6 70.7 70.4
Paper 28.3 57.4 71.4 78.2 84.7 86.3
Compounds for beverages 0.0 40.6 58.0 61.6 67.6 67.9
(Source: Data of the environment 2000 of the Federal Environment Office)
5.3 COMPULSORY DEPOSIT
The discussion about the possible introduction of a compulsory deposit for nonreturnable packaging
has dominated the whole packaging industry for years.
The VVO (Verpackungsverordnung, packaging ordinance), passed in 1991, took into account the major
sector of beverage packaging. In this connection the issue of the share of returnable and nonreturnable
beverage packaging was addressed for the first time. Minimum quotas were set for the use of returnable
beverage packaging in Germany, whereby the proportion of returnable packaging was fixed at a
minimum of 72%; accordingly, the proportion of nonreturnable packaging was limited to a maximum
of 28%. The handling of empty beverage packages, especially of empty nonreturnable packages, was
also regulated by the VVO. Each manufacturer or distributor is responsible for taking back its own
empty, used packaging. Exceptions from this responsibility are possible, providing that an areawide,
consumer-orientated collection system exists to carry out the collection. That was why the Duale
System Deutschland (DSD) was founded in 1990. Apart from the quota and legal restraints already
mentioned, the VVO also provides for a compulsory deposit on nonreturnable packaging in the event
that the target of 72% of returnable packages is not met. The quota is evaluated every year by the GVM
and made available to the German Ministry for the Environment. The quotas are then published in the
Bundesanzeiger.
Before an initial nonobservance of the quota can lead to introduction of the compulsory deposit, a
survey is carried out. Only when this survey proves that the requirements were not met, and official
notice is given, is the compulsory deposit imposed after a delay of six months. In 1997, Germany failed
for the first time to achieve the minimum quota of 72% returnable packaging. The exact figure of
71.35% was officially published in the Bundesanzeiger on January 21, 1999.
According to the latest Consumer Scan of the GfK (Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung), the proportion
of returnable packaging in Germany in 2001 fell to only 60.2%. This survey is an important early
indicator of packaging developments in Germany and provides a relatively precise picture of the actual
developments in returnable and nonreturnable packaging. Based on current regulations, a compulsory
deposit of 0.25 € on a nonreturnable package in all beverage segments will have to be introduced at the
latest in autumn 2002. The process of introduction of the compulsory deposit according to the VVO
starts with the appellate administrative court in Berlin, which is currently hearing objections from
opponents of the compulsory deposit.