Reuse

A consortium of industrial and technology companies has launched the Back2Back project to improve the reuse and recycling of used technical products. Partners include Grundfos, Danfoss and DSV, alongside further industry and research organisations. The initiative focuses on extending product lifecycles and reducing material losses through new recovery systems.

Portugal will introduce its national Portugal Deposit Return System for beverage packaging on 10 April 2026. The system, branded Volta, is operated by SDR Portugal: Associação de Embaladores and applies to single-use beverage containers below three litres made of plastic, aluminium and steel. A deposit of €0.10 is charged per container. The IT platform provided by Sensoneo supports system operations, including container registration, collection processes, reverse logistics and financial clearing.

Malta has introduced a central voucher validation platform within its deposit return scheme (DRS) to improve the security and traceability of voucher redemption processes. The system, developed by Sensoneo, is operated nationwide by BCRS Malta. It enables real-time validation of deposit vouchers, supports fraud prevention and establishes a cen-tralised framework for financial settlement across reverse vending machine (RVM) net-works and retail systems.

RREUSE has published a new report urging EU policymakers to adopt binding, ambitious, standalone targets for reuse and preparing for reuse. The report also provides a comprehensive overview of existing targets and their institutional and policy context in EU Member States.

Lisbon is the first European capital to roll out a city-wide reusable cup system backed by a local deposit-return model. The initiative – driven by a collaboration between the City of Lisbon, Tomra, and AHRESP (Associação da Hotelaria, Restauração e Similares de Portugal) – is designed to tackle plastic waste, slash emissions, and bring a smarter reuse model to the city’s bustling nightlife and hospitality sector.

On February 1, 2024, Ireland became the 16th European country to introduce the Deposit Return System (DRS) for single-use beverage packaging. Just over a year later, the 1 billionth packaging container was returned at Lidl Ireland Kilcarbery, Dublin, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.

SDR Portugal will serve as the scheme administrator, while Sensoneo, has been selected as the IT solution provider, expanding its footprint as the trusted IT partner for DRS implementations in its eighth European country.