Der Grüne Punkt – a strong brand in Europe

For sales packaging, dual systems are used as a manufacturer's instrument to collect and recycle the used packaging from the end user on its behalf. The first dual system was set up in 1990: the present-day Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland GmbH. The “Der Grüne Punkt” trademark was the symbol for a new trend: extended producer responsibility. The establishment of systems based on extended producer responsibility helped to raise recycling ratios, and thus became a crucial instrument for sustainable resource-economy in Europe.

In most of the EU’s member states, national implementation of the European Packaging Directive in terms of producer responsibility is handled by systems for collecting and recovering sales packages that are organized by the private sector. Most of these systems have joined forces in the PRO Europe umbrella organization. Many of them use the “Der Grüne Punkt” trademark as a financing symbol, thus signaling to consumers that the initial distributors of the sales packages concerned are meeting their producer’s responsibilities and contributing towards financing the recycling process.

PRO Europe endeavors to break down trade barriers and foster cooperative arrangements between its members. Its remit also includes efficient representation of interests themed around package licensing and the relevant legislation, plus harmonizing the modalities of package recycling.

_{Der Grüne Punkt in Europa - PRO Europe: Der Grüne Punkt as founding member of the umbrella organization of the Grüner Punkt systems}