How Austrian CCL Plants Support the German Deposit System
Germany is expanding its deposit system to include new products: since the start of 2024, milk, mixed milk beverages and all drinkable dairy products offered in one-way plastic bottles with a certain filling volume need to carry the DPG (Deutsches Pfandsystem GmbH) deposit logo!
Although these changes are happening in Germany they led to a lot of action in our Austrian label production plants in Dornbirn and Völkermarkt. Both plants have been label printing partners of large dairy companies that are either based in Germany or sell their products within Germany – thus the existing label designs needed to be changed in time for the introduction of the deposit obligation.
Not every printer and converter is allowed to print the DPG logo – certified suppliers have to be licenced and audited regularly. „Many people don’t know that this logo is printed with a special ink – that we receive directly from the Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH. After all, printing deposit logos is like printing money, so you can imagine that the security measures are quite intense”, explains Reiner Druml, Head of Sales at the CCL Dornbirn plant located in Vorarlberg.
„We use the special ink to print the deposit logo on the labels or sleeves and have to carefully monitor and document how much we have used so that we can verify when audited by DPG“. The new designs had to be changed, printed and delivered in advance so that the labels and sleeves on the dairy products could be practically changed overnight.
„We had to manage hundreds of designs in Dornbirn alone. This required careful planning, efficient logistics and a great team effort – but we managed to pull it off and support our customers with many of whom we have a longstanding partnership“, adds Druml. “Kudos to the colleagues who went the extra mile during the busy Christmas season!”
April 2024
