The introduction of new national deposit systems for single-use beverage containers across Europe is a key issue for retailers, who must find efficient solutions for taking back deposit-bearing packaging. This is the conclusion drawn from EuroShop 2026, which, even on its 60th anniversary, more than lived up to its reputation as the leading trade fair for the retail industry. Over the five days of the fair, around 1,840 exhibitors from more than 60 countries and over 81,000 trade visitors from 141 nations transformed the exhibition grounds in Düsseldorf into a worthy “Global Retail Festival.”

insensiv GmbH was also represented as an exhibitor and used the international platform to present innovative solutions in the field of return technology for beverage packaging to an international audience of industry experts.

Strong presence and valuable discussions

At the joint meeting place for the retail and technology industries, insensiv showcased its latest product developments in the field of reliable detection systems for deposit-bearing packaging. The focus was on:

• New product generation of 360° recognition units for analyzing barcodes and deposit logos with integrated metal detection
• Innovative shape recognition system for reliable container shape inspection
• Advanced crate recognition system for evaluating beverage crates and their contents

These intelligent camera systems already today form the technological basis of many modern reverse vending systems and reflect our commitment to continuing to shape efficient and sustainable deposit return systems as a leading OEM partner for manufacturers of reverse vending machines.

Successful trade fair appearance with strong momentum

EuroShop 2026 provided an ideal platform for intense professional exchange, valuable new contacts, and the deepening of existing partnerships. In the context of the growing importance of national deposit systems in Europe, the focus was on dialogue with industry experts and joint solutions.

Overall, insensiv draws a thoroughly positive conclusion: inspiring discussions, strong product presentations, and the international reach of the trade fair have further strengthened the brand’s presence and provided important momentum for the coming months. We would like to thank all visitors to our booth in Hall 7a and look forward to continuing the discussions and joint projects!

insensiv will once again be exhibiting at the world’s leading trade fair for the retail industry, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. EuroShop will take place from February 22 to 26, 2026, at the Messe Düsseldorf exhibition center and will bring together over 1,800 exhibitors from more than 50 countries to present innovative solutions for the retail industry.

As the leading international trade fair for the retail industry, EuroShop is not only the highlight of our trade fair season, but also offers the ideal opportunity to maintain existing contacts and expand our network in the core market of deposit return schemes for beverage packaging. With the introduction of new national deposit systems across Europe, this year’s trade fair will once again be an important industry meeting place for discussing current developments and future challenges.

As the leading OEM supplier for manufacturers of reverse vending machines, insensiv will be presenting its latest solutions for the reliable detection of beverage deposit containers at EuroShop. These include innovations in the field of 360° recognition units for analyzing barcodes and deposit logos, new solutions for shape recognition to analyze container shapes, and a advanced crate recognition system for evaluating beverage crates and their contents. With these new products, insensiv is building on its many years of experience in various countries and deposit returns schemes and continuing to position itself as a leading supplier of RVM components. Because already today, our intelligent camera systems for verifying deposit containers are the technological basis for efficient and secure return systems in many markets.

Come by and see us in Hall 7a at Booth B03 – we look forward to showing you our solutions in the field of reverse vending technology for beverage packaging live and to getting in touch with you!

Here you can visit the insensiv exhibitor profile.

With the founding of insensiv develop, insensiv GmbH is starting a new chapter in its history. The wholly owned subsidiary will concentrate on the strategic development of existing technological ideas and projects – detached from the core business of the parent company and with a clear focus on sustainable product developments.

Focus on high-end technology and new business areas

In recent years, insensiv GmbH has repeatedly come up with innovative product ideas and technical developments that are not related to its core business. In the future, this potential will be systematically developed and brought to market maturity – together with partner companies that will be recruited to complement technological expertise with appropriate market access. The aim is to create market-ready solutions based on existing ideas or concepts within the framework of joint ventures.

“I have a lot of product ideas that I would like to realize in the future, but they are not part of insensiv’s core business,” says Christian Gieselmann, managing director of insensiv GmbH and founder of insensiv develop. “With insensiv develop, we are now creating the structural space for making this happen.”

New addition to the team: Alena Kuhlmeier takes over strategic management

Alena Kuhlmeier has been recruited as Head of Strategy and Organization for the development and strategic orientation of insensiv develop. She will be responsible for the operational implementation and structured expansion of the new company and will establish contacts with potential partner companies.

“We are delighted to have Alena on board for this task. With her experience and clear strategic vision, she is exactly the right person for the new role. I am convinced that together we can achieve a successful outcome in the near future,” said Christian Gieselmann.

Alena Kuhlmeier adds: “insensiv’s technological expertise in the field of image processing and automation technology has the potential to be exploited in many other areas of application, particularly in the context of drone technology and robotics. I am very much looking forward to the exciting challenge of building up the new insensiv develop business unit together with Christian Gieselmann and contributing my experience here.”

A new chapter with a clear ambition

insensiv develop is an innovative spin-off that complements the portfolio of insensiv GmbH and provides new impetus for technology-based business development – always with the aim of turning ideas into real, marketable products.

More information is available at: https://insensiv.de/develop/

Contact: info@insensiv-develop.de

With the roll-out of two locations in Luxembourg, our exchange machines for the fully automated return and dispensing of propane gas cylinders have reached an important milestone in their expansion: for the first time, our exchange machine is being used outside Germany.

In Junglinster and Bettembourg, a machine has been installed that enables the 24/7 exchange of gas cylinders – simple, customer-friendly and around the clock. This means that customers in Luxembourg now also have the possibility of flexibly exchanging possibility of flexibly exchanging Tyczka gas cylinders, which are also commercially available in Germany, at any time – without having to search for a responsible employee and without having to carry the empty gas cylinder through the store.

The media interest shows that this innovative concept is also convincing beyond the German borders: The Luxembourg daily newspaper L’essentiel recently reported on the new exchange machines. The full article can be read here.

With the successful implementation of these two pilot locations abroad, we are emphasizing our ambition to further advance pioneering and customer-oriented solutions in the area of process optimization for the DIY sector and to make our proven technology available to new markets. An important and encouraging step and hopefully just the beginning in the international expansion of this important product segment.

One of the basic requirements for an efficient deposit return scheme is that the return of beverage containers containing a deposit to reverse vending machines should be as smooth as possible. This is why Germany has clear guidelines for the labeling of all integrated packaging in the one-way deposit system organized by the DPG (“Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH“).

All distributors of packaging subject to a deposit ( so-called “Users of DPG Ink“) are obliged to mark this packaging in accordance with DPG specifications and to print labels accordingly. The marking ensures that packaging is clearly identifiable and consists of the DPG deposit logo and the product-specific barcode.

To ensure the print quality of these marks, the DPG prescribes the use of specific quality assurance equipment. For many years, insensiv has been offering quality assurance units designed and calibrated in accordance with DPG specifications. With the QSE-DPG-5, insensiv is now introducing a new product generation that guarantees compliance with the latest security specification 5.0 and also enables the barcode print quality to be checked. The output of DPG-compliant measurement reports ensures that the guidelines for the special colors and shapes of the DPG marking can be adhered to when printing.

The QSE-DPG-5 is significantly more user-friendly than its predecessor and provides the user with immediate feedback via the integrated display. A quick-change adapter for use with different attachments allows the system to be used flexibly for different types of cans and labels.

To ensure that the high quality standards of production control are maintained in the long term and that reliable measurement results can be delivered on a permanent basis, insensiv also ensures that the system is calibrated annually as prescribed by the DPG. A special transport case is included in the scope of delivery so that the QSE-DPG-5 can be shipped for this purpose.

The new QSE-DPG-5 has been available to all licensed users of DPG ink since summer 2024.

More information can be found here: insensiv QSE-DPG-5

Germany introduced a single-use deposit return scheme (DRS) for most beverage containers such as PET bottles and aluminum cans back in 2005. Since January 1, 2025, Austria has now also launched a DRS for all single-use plastic and metal beverage containers with a capacity of 0.1 to 3 liters. Just like in Germany, the deposit value for this packaging is 25 cents. All beverage containers covered by the one-way deposit are marked with the Austrian deposit logo. The deposit system in Austria is organized by EWP Recycling Pfand Österreich gGmbH, which is the central authority responsible for all organizational and structural matters.

The planning and implementation of new deposit return schemes not only relates to Austria, but is currently being discussed in many European countries. The reason for this is the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUP) adopted by the EU in 2019. This aims to reduce environmental pollution caused by the careless discarding of single-use plastics and to strengthen the circular economy. It specifies that all EU member states must collect at least 90% of all single-use plastic bottles separately and recycle them by 2029. In order to achieve this prescribed collection rate, many countries in Europe have already launched initiatives to follow Austria’s example in the near future.

As a manufacturer of components for verifying deposit containers at reverse vending machines, insensiv has been deeply involved in the German one-way deposit return scheme since its introduction. Our main focus is on supporting manufacturers of reverse vending machines in taking back only packaging that contains a deposit and making the return process as convenient as possible for the customer. Our technology has developed constantly over the years. With the development across Europe towards the establishment of new deposit return schemes, new markets are emerging for this product area, some of which have very individual requirements. This is why we at insensiv want to continue working on improving our recognition technology in the coming year and beyond in order to be able to offer our customers reliable solutions. We are already today supporting our existing partners in establishing a secure and efficient DRS in Austria as well.

insensiv introduces product innovation

In Düsseldorf, insensiv will be presenting the QSE-DPG-5, a new generation of quality assurance units for checking the print quality of security markings on beverage packaging.

In Germany in particular, the one-way deposit return scheme organized by the DPG (“Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH”) has clear specifications regarding the labelling of all integrated packaging. Beverage manufacturers and importers are obliged to mark their single-use beverage packaging in accordance with DPG specifications and to print labels accordingly. This marking ensures that packaging is clearly identifiable and consists of the DPG deposit logo and an article number (GTIN) created specifically for the German market. The print quality of these two security features must be checked by all packaging distributors.

For this purpose, insensiv has been offering quality assurance units certified by the DPG for many years. With the QSE-DPG-5, a new product generation is now being introduced that guarantees compliance with the latest security specification 5.0 and also enables the verification of barcode printing quality.

Visit us

Experience our new quality assurance unit yourself and visit us in hall 7 at booth F01. We look forward to your visit!

You can already book an appointment at our booth in advance here.

Do you have further questions or are interested? Please feel free to contact us at: support-qse@insensiv.de

Back in 2017, we moved into our new company headquarters in the “Auf dem Esch” industrial park in Bielefeld-Dornberg, Germany. Since then, we have been working here on the latest technologies for deposit return schemes and many other exciting innovations based on intelligent camera systems.

In the past, however, the insensiv headquarters was used as a turbine factory. That’s why we’ve been working on the modification and modernization of the building almost constantly since we moved in, in order to adapt it perfectly to our needs. Of course, the focus is also on keeping the impact on the environment as low as possible. That’s why the most recent renovation projects have focused on optimizing the energy balance and expanding the use of renewable energy.

Last year, one of the largest and most important modification projects was completed – the installation of the company’s own solar farm on the factory roof. This initially required a roof renovation to increase the possible load-bearing capacity. The plant, which is a good 500m² in size, now consists of a total of 213 modules and is expected to generate approx. 70 MWh of energy a year with up to 80 kW peak. This corresponds to a saving of approximately 31.1 tons of CO² per year and thus is a major step for us in our sustainability efforts.

At this point, we would once again like to thank Paul Bauder GmbH & Co. KG and roofer Fritz Jünemann, who made the realization of this project possible. We are proud to finally be able to use our roof even more efficiently.

As at the last edition in 2019, insensiv was again represented as an exhibitor in Düsseldorf. In the area of retail technology, insensiv presented the micro counting center “MCC”, an innovation for the fully automated separation, verification and crushing of collectively entered deposit containers in the industrial environment. This is designed as an alternative to conventional large counting systems and can be used decentrally in existing logistics centers for clearing deposit containers.

In addition, our recognition technology for reverse vending machines was of course also showcased at our booth. As many countries in Europe are working on the introduction of deposit return schemes, the customer-friendly and tamper-proof return of beverage packaging will play an even more important role for retailers in the future.

As an additional highlight, insensiv Head of Marketing & Sales Eike Linnenbrügger gave a presentation on “DRS and EPR soon throughout Europe – Opportunity or Problem for Retail?” on Sunday, February 26 at the Retail Technology Stage in Hall 6 / I61 at 4:20 pm. All further info on the presentation can be found here.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all visitors to our booth for the many interesting discussions.

To the insensiv exhibitor profile

Approaches to waste avoidance

According to a survey by the Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung (Society for Packaging Market Research), more than 346,000 tonnes of waste were produced in Germany in 2017 for disposable tableware and to-go packaging. The German government is therefore increasingly tightening its measures to avoid disposable packaging – among other reforms, by amending the Packaging Act.

A ban on the sale of single-use plastic products such as straws or disposable tableware has already been in effect since this year. From 2023, all catering establishments must offer reusable containers as an alternative to disposable packaging for food and drinks. Because it is better for the environment to use packaging several times instead of disposing of it immediately after use. But what does an efficient reusable system actually look like and why do reverse vending machines play an important role in its implementation?

How does a reusable system work?

Reusable systems are a practical example of a circular economy. Instead of throwing away packaging materials after use, they should be reused in the sense of conserving resources and closing material cycles. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the reusable cup made of polypropylene or the reusable bottle made of glass – with each reuse, resources are saved that would otherwise have been spent on producing new packaging. This makes reusable systems real climate protectors.

For caterers, the introduction of reusable packaging requires that a contingent of reusable packaging (e.g. coffee-to-go cups or salad bowls) must be purchased in the first place. More and more manufacturers have positioned themselves on the market for this in recent years (e.g. FairCup or Recup in Germany). This reusable packaging must be collected after being used by the customer and then be rinsed.

In order to give customers an incentive to return their used packaging, a deposit is usually charged for it. The return of used cups or trays can either be done by the service and sales staff or by an reverse vending machine.

What is a reverse vending machine?

A reverse vending machine (RVM) is used for the fully automatic return of empty food packaging such as beverage containers or meal boxes. They can be set up anywhere where an automated return process is to relieve staff. They can also be used as additional return points in public places. Reverse vending machines must verify the packaging entered – ensuring that it is eligible for return – and then transport it to a collection bag. Afterwards the customer is paid the deposit value of the returned packaging by the machine. The deposit value and its distribution can vary depending on the area of application. Theoretically, a reverse vending machine can take back any type of packaging.

What are the advantages of a reverse vending machine for reusable systems?

Reusable systems inevitably go along with extra effort for all parties involved: consumers have to return used packaging and caterers have to collect and rinse it. If used cups or bowls are taken back at the regular point of sale, this can lead to longer queues and a retention of sales staff.

Not only do waiting times have a negative impact on customer satisfaction, they can also deter potential customers who, for example, just want to grab a coffee to go in a bakery. Moreover, for hygienic reasons, it is often not even allowed to take back used packaging at the same place where foods are served.

Reverse vending machines can relieve the sales staff and shift the return process away from the point of sale. Maintenance and emptying of the RVM can be carried out by the staff at any time. For customers, using the reverse vending machine is easy and less time-consuming, as there is no need to queue at the cash register.

Especially in Germany, most people are familiar with the use of reverse vending machines in supermarkets due to the one-way deposit return system introduced back in 2005. In addition, it is also possible to install RVMs in public spaces (e.g. at bus stops or train stations), so that additional return points for a nationwide reusable system are built. Because who wants to carry around their used reusable cup until the next visit to the place of purchase?! Automated return solutions therefore not only offer advantages for the caterer or restaurant, but also potentially contribute to a higher acceptance of the reusable system by the customer.

What are the challenges of a automated return process?

Reusable packaging in particular often has a high deposit value because it is significantly more expensive to produce than packaging made of disposable plastic. Although a high deposit value is more likely to encourage customers to return their containers, it also gives them a greater incentive for tampering.

Especially machines that are set up in public places without being monitored by the service staff are susceptible to manipulation attempts. These are usually aimed at illegally obtaining the value of the deposit. Therefore, it can make sense not to hand out the deposit as cash, but to credit a virtual discount in an app, for example. This could then be redeemed for a new package or any other purchase at one of the participating partner stores.

However, it is crucial that reverse vending machines can ensure that the deposit amount is only paid out for packaging that is subject to the deposit. Mistakenly or improperly inserted packaging or objects that are not accepted by the operator must be rejected by the machine accordingly. For this purpose, various methods of verifying the returned packaging are conceivable.

For reverse vending machines installed at public places, additional service and maintenance costs must also be taken into account. This is because the machines should be emptied and cleaned regularly. In addition, the collected packaging must be transported either back to the point of sale (e.g. the restaurant) or to a dishwashing service provider. When placing RVMs at central public junctions, it is also important to obtain installation permits from the responsible authorities and to observe any safety guidelines for the installation site.

Conclusion

For an efficient and comprehensive returnable system that is accepted by the consumer, the use of suitable reverse vending machines is essential. However, these must necessarily have a reliable technology for recognising the packaging entered in order to minimise the system’s susceptibility to manipulation. In addition, there should be flexible options for issuing the deposit value. An exemplary project has been implemented in Vienna since 2019. In the course of the myCoffeeCup project, vending machines for returnable coffee cups have been installed at central points such as underground stations throughout the city. The aim is to reduce the number of 84 million disposable cups thrown away each year. So coffee-to-go and take-away can also work sustainably, without waste and without an enormous waste of resources…