Export Of Beverages To Denmark, Norway And Sweden: The Deposit System
There is a deposit system for packaging in Scandinavia that has existed for years and is actively used by the population.
In Denmark, consumers return a whopping 93% of deposit-marked packaging! In all Scandinavian countries, the reuse of packaging is taken extremely seriously in one way or another. If you plan to export drinks packaged in bottles or cans to one or all of these three countries, you will need to register your products in the respective country's deposit system, pay the required registration fees, and include that country's deposit label on your product labels.
The prices paid by buyers for packaging are divided according to the packaging characteristics in those countries.
Deposit system in Denmark
In Denmark, a deposit is charged for both single-use packaging and reusable bottles. The visible deposit mark is only used for disposable containers.
The following products require a deposit payment in Denmark:
- Beer
- Carbonated beverages (e.g. soft drinks with an alcohol content of 0-0.5%)
- Fermented beverages, except for wine and fruit wine (e.g. cider with an alcohol content below 10%)
- Mixed beverages based on strong alcoholic beverages, wine, or other fermented beverages mixed with such beverages as mineral water, cider, or juice (e.g. alcoholic mineral drink with 0.5-10% alcohol content)
- Mineral water, spring water, water, lemonade, iced tea, etc., that are immediately drinkable and not carbonated
- Concentrated juice that needs to be mixed with water before consumption
- Pure juice, juice drink, or wort made from fruits or vegetables
- Smoothies (without milk)
Prices for single-use packaging
Deposit-marked cans and bottles are single-use packages that are recycled by melting into new cans and bottles.
A single-use package contains:
- Deposit A = 1 Danish krone (less than 1-liter glass bottles and metal cans)
- Deposit B = 1.50 Danish kroner (less than 1-liter plastic bottles)
- Deposit C = 3 Danish kroner (all bottles and cans with a volume of 1-20 liters)
Prices for reusable packaging
Bottles without a deposit mark in the deposit system are reusable packages that are cleaned and refilled by the manufacturer.
Therefore, reusable bottles go back into circulation as they are used again without being melted down. The green beer bottle is an example of a reusable bottle. Consumers get their money back for reusable bottles if they paid a deposit when purchasing them. Reusable bottles with a deposit mark can be returned to bottle vending machines and redemption centers.
- Glass bottles up to and including ½ liter = 1 Danish krone
- Glass bottles over ½ liter = 3 Danish kroner
- Plastic bottles less than 1 liter = 1.50 Danish kroner
- Plastic bottles of 1 liter and above = 3 Danish kroner
Deposit for beer and mineral water crates
Stores in Denmark can determine the deposit prices for beverage crates.
How to register your products in the Danish deposit system?
More information on registration can be found here: https://danskretursystem.dk/en/for-companies/.
Unfortunately, the information in English is more limited than in Danish, and if you have any questions, you can contact their customer service. If necessary, I can help you with the registration process. Please contact me here: Contact.
Make sure to register carefully as this must be done BEFORE exporting your products to Denmark.
When Dansk Retursystem has received all the necessary information, it takes up to four weeks to determine whether the product can be registered. However, this assumes that Dansk Retursystem has received a properly completed registration form, two sample packages of each product variant (flavor variant), and that (if applicable) any previously prepared deposit label meets the requirements.
Once the Danish Return System has approved the product registration, the relevant data is loaded into the bottle machines in stores, and you will receive a registration certificate for your package.
This also means that the reverse vending machine will not pay out the deposit to its customers until you have received the certificate. Therefore, you may only sell or hand over the product once you have received the registration certificate.
The conditions for issuing a registration certificate from Dansk Retursystem are:
- The packaging registration fee of 2000 Danish kroner + VAT has been paid by the company – the fee only needs to be paid for the first package in a calendar year.
A completed reporting form. - You have signed a specific confirmation upon registration if there are plans to apply the label directly to the product label.
- If the label is printed directly on the label, a bank guarantee must also be provided (this applies to primary labeling).
- For secondary labeling, Dansk Retursystem issues stickers that must be applied separately to the products. In this case, a bank guarantee is not required.
Again, if you need assistance with registration, please contact me here: Contact.
Deposit system in Norway
The registration process for the Norwegian deposit system Infinitum differs somewhat from the Danish one.
- Deposit fees Bottles and cans up to ½ liter: NOK 2
- Bottles and cans over ½ liter: NOK 2.50 and NOK 3
Registration fees for the Norwegian deposit system:
Firstly, there is a one-time membership fee of 10,000 NOK (approximately 1000 euros) and in addition, a registration fee must be paid for each product:
(per GTIN - one-time): PET and HDPE NOK 2,000 (per GTIN - one-time): Alu and metal NOK 1,000
In Norway, an environmental fee must be paid for each container unit. The requirement for such a fee is expected to end when the return percentage of containers reaches 95%. Currently, it is at 92%.
In principle, it is possible to avoid the 10,000 Norwegian kroner membership fee, but in this case, the environmental fees for each circulating product container will be very high. Here is an example of the aluminum can fees for non-members, if you sell beer, mineral water, energy drinks, cider, or concentrated drinks in Norway with a registered barcode and the packaging is at least 75% covered with a label or sleeve.
Calculate your fees
You can calculate your packaging fees with this calculator.
- The registration process becomes even more exciting, where you must send four packages for inspection eight weeks before launching the product in the country.
- Twenty more products for inspection four weeks before launch, this time with all necessary labels and barcodes.
- Every seventh day of the month, sales figures for each product must be reported.
You can read more here (in Norwegian): Product registration in the Norwegian packaging system.
Fortunately, there is a relatively comprehensive action plan in English here.
Deposit system in Sweden
The name of the Swedish deposit system is Pantamera.
Read about all the prices and taxes here, also note the last page: Price list for the Swedish deposit system.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Scandinavian countries take the reuse of packaging very seriously, and Denmark has a deposit system that has been in place for years and is actively used by the population.
Consumers in Denmark return 93% of deposit-marked packaging, and as a producer or exporter, you will need to register your products in the respective country's deposit system, pay the required registration fees, and include that country's deposit label on your product labels. In Denmark, a deposit is charged for both single-use and reusable packaging.
The prices paid by buyers for packaging are divided according to the packaging characteristics in these countries. Therefore, it is crucial to follow the registration process carefully and seek assistance if required.
The registration fees and the deposit fees differ for each country, and it is essential to understand the requirements of each country's deposit system.
Read more
Top 10 Questions & Answers about Exporting To Norway
