In the discussion about the effects of the planned EU packaging regulation (PPWR) on existing reusable systems in the beverage sector, the EU Commission has spoken out with a clarification. In a statement, it says that it „does not correspond to the facts“ that existing reusable beer bottles may no longer be used in future due to the planned reform.
One point of contention is the question of future labelling of bottles. As the Commission now explains, in future all packaging should be labelled - with information on „what the packaging is made of and which waste container it belongs in“.
This information must be permanently affixed. Removable paper labels, which are common in the German bottle deposit system, can fulfil this condition, is now stated in the current Statement of the Commission from 1 June. The problem: In the draft for the new Packaging Regulation, however, the Commission had stipulated in Article 11 that the labelling must be affixed in such a permanent way that it facilitates the tracking of the packaging and the calculation of returns and cycles. . In practice, however, this would only be possible if all bottles were labelled directly.
The Brewers' Association had pointed this out together with other associations, that the existing returnable deposit bottles cannot achieve this. This is because information on the label disappears as soon as a new label is applied with each new circulation. This leaves the question of how the German brewing industry's environmentally friendly reusable system will fulfil EU requirements in future unanswered. In the beer industry alone, up to 1,500 German breweries participate in Europe's largest and oldest reusable system, using more than three billion returnable deposit bottles collectively.
However, the EU Commission has made one important clarification with a view of the returnable beer crates which are also the focus of attention. The German Brewers„ Association and other associations had previously expressed the justified concern that, in addition to billions of returnable bottles, millions of crates of beer would inevitably have to be sorted out because the Commission wants to limit the “empty space", i.e. the air in transport packaging.
In Article 21 of the draft, the Commission had demanded that economic operators who supply products to final distributors or final customers in secondary packaging, transport packaging or packaging for e-commerce must ensure that the void ratio is no more than 40 per cent. The Commission has now agreed to clarify this in the regulation, Exempt transport packaging in existing reusable systems, such as beer crates, from this rule.
Conclusion of the EU Commission: „The deposit system in Germany is a success. The Commission also encourages other Member States and economic sectors to introduce such systems.“
The German Brewers' Association welcomes the EU Commission's clarifications, but still sees a large number of unresolved issues.
„The aim of the planned EU regulation is to strengthen reusable systems, especially in the beverage industry, which is why the regulations must not jeopardise the existence of models that have been working successfully for decades.“
Holger Eichele, DBB Managing Director
Decisive issues such as the obligation to take back reusable packaging or the administrative bureaucracy required for deposit companies are still unresolved.
In principle, the Brauer-Bund supports the EU's approach of strengthening reusable packaging, reducing the consumption of resources and making the recycling of packaging mandatory. In Germany, there are a number of different but successful reusable systems - from the open bottle pools of the breweries to the closed pool of the Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen. „These reusable systems have proven their worth. For decades, the reuse rates in Germany have been far above the targets set by the EU for 2040„, says Eichele. „We invite the responsible EU politicians to visit our breweries and retailers to see for themselves how the reusable system works in Germany and how it is used by consumers. On this basis, they can assess which clarifications are still necessary in the current draft in order to adequately take into account proven reusable systems.“
Source: German Brewers Association