The reusable packaging rate for drinks in Germany rose slightly in 2024. According to a new study commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency, 34.5 percent of beverages consumed were filled into reusable packaging. This means the legal target of 70 percent remains significantly unmet.
In 2024, the share of reusable beverage packaging stood at 34.5 percent, which is 0.2 percentage points higher than the previous year. However, since the introduction of the deposit system in 2003, the reusable rate has fallen from 63.7 percent to below 35 percent. This is shown in the final report „Nationwide Survey of Data on the Consumption of Beverages in Reusable Beverage Packaging,“ which was prepared by GVM - Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency.
Reusable items increase slightly
In total, around 41 billion litres of beverages in sales packaging up to ten litres were consumed in 2024. While the overall market declined by 0.2 percent compared to 2023, the volume in reusable packaging increased by 0.5 percent, or 73 million litres, respectively. According to the authors' calculations, around 94 million litres that were still filled in single-use packaging in the previous year were replaced by reusable packaging.
Beer continued to achieve the highest share of reusable packaging at 78.1 percent. For mineral water, the share was 45.8 percent, and for soft drinks, it was 22.0 percent. The reusable packaging rate was significantly lower for juices and nectars at 12.3 percent, and for wine, sparkling wine, and spirits at 4.3 percent. Milk and milk-based mixed drinks accounted for 2.1 percent.
Changes to packaging materials
In 2024, the decline in single-use plastic bottles continued. Their market share fell to 38.6 percent. At the same time, beverage cans increased to 5.8 percent, and beverage cartons reached a share of 13.1 percent. Reusable glass bottles maintained their position as the second most important packaging group, trailing behind single-use plastic bottles, with a market share of 25.2 percent.
The study attributes the development to both changes in the beverage market and a substitution of individual packaging materials. While reusable glass bottles gained volume in 2024, the filling volumes in reusable plastic bottles declined slightly.
Legal target still clearly missed
The Packaging Act provides for a reusable share of 70 per cent. According to the results of the study, this target was also clearly missed in 2024. The investigation is based on data from Destatis, industry associations, market research companies, and GVM beverage market research, and considers beverages in sales packaging up to a filling volume of ten litres.
Source: Nationwide survey of data on the consumption of beverages in reusable beverage packaging, reference year 2024
