Austria introduced disposable deposit in 2025: what consumers need to know!

Austria introduced disposable deposit in 2025: what consumers need to know!

From January 1, 2025, a new disposable deposit system for beverage cans and bottles will be introduced in Austria, which presents consumers and companies with major changes. According to a report by orf.at , product manufacturers, including the Starzinger Group, have to change their articles by the end of the first quarter of 2025 and install their pennies. Managing Director Patrick Moser sees advantages in environmental protection, but warns of negative sales consequences. From 2025, the deposit costs 25 cents for closed drinks packaging made of plastic or metal with up to three liters, except for milk and medical products. The pressure on the manufacturers is high because they have to quickly adjust their existing products to avoid losses.

preparation for the pledge system

Preparations for the new deposit system are already in full swing. The press reports that about 90 percent of all beverage packaging should be returned via return automatic machines in supermarkets. The infrastructure is largely completed, and a third of the beverage manufacturers have already registered and has made necessary adjustments. In addition, consumers must note that only drinking drinks are subject to their pledges; Sirup and other products do not fall underneath. It is important that bottles and cans are undamaged and the Pfandlogo remains easy to read in order to receive a refund.

Although many consumers support the introduction of the new deposit system, as indicated by Moser, it could initially be challenged. Vöslauer and other leading companies in the mineral water market expect around a third of consumers to adapt their buying behavior. The approximately 2.2 billion doses and bottles that are consumed annually in Austria have to be returned carefully to reach the desired EU collection rate of 90 percent by 2030. The producers face the demanding task of reconciling sustainability with the requirements of the market.