Sensoneo Provides IT Solution for Austria’s Deposit Return System

Aiming to collect 2.2 billion bottles and cans annually

Customer

EWP Recycling Pfand Österreich gGmbH is the non‑profit central operator appointed by Austria’s Climate Protection Ministry to implement the country’s mandatory deposit‑return system for single‑use PET bottles and aluminium cans (0.1–3 L), launched on 1 January 2025.

The company is owned by the Trägerverein Einwegpfand, which includes leading beverage producers, retailers, and industry associations and oversees logistics, registration, collection infrastructure (both reverse‑vending and manual), data and cash flows, and material sorting. With an initial goal of 80 % return rate in 2025 rising to 90 % by 2027, EWP ensures high‑quality recycling, supports circular material use, and helps Austria meet EU waste reduction targets

Project description

Austria has officially launched its nationwide Deposit Return System (DRS) for single-use beverage containers as of January 1, 2025. Sensoneo, a global leader in data-driven waste management solutions, is the IT provider for the Austrian DRS, marking the sixth successful nationwide implementation of its kind by the company.

To ensure widespread public awareness, EWP Recycling Pfand Österreich has launched a nationwide campaign titled “Achtung Einsatz!” starting January 9, 2025, which will educate citizens on how to participate in the program effectively.

The Austrian Deposit Return Scheme operates with almost 13,000+ collection points at retail locations where consumers can return their beverage packaging. Of these, more than 6,000 reverse vending machines operate within the system.

The IT solution delivered by Sensoneo serves as the backbone of the Austrian DRS, integrating all stakeholders and enabling streamlined data management across the process chain. Built on a robust, cloud-based infrastructure, the system supports well-designed processes and tools for fraud management, comprehensive reporting, and collection network control.

Impact

The Austrian DRS aims to recycle 2.2 billion bottles and cans annually and achieve a 90% return rate by 2027. Administered by EWP Recycling Pfand Österreich gGmbH, the system introduces a deposit of 25 cents for PET bottles and aluminum cans (0.1 to 3 liters), all marked with a deposit logo. These beverage containers can be returned at any retail where they are sold, encouraging to recycle and reduce waste.

Reflections on the scheme

“Sensoneo is one of the most important vendors of SaaS solutions for Austrian DRS operator EWP. The solution covers almost all types of stakeholders and deposit-related processes in Austria. A high level of automatization was already reached from the beginning of the scheme and is continuously improved week by week in close cooperation between Sensoneo and EWP.“

Valentin Hamm, IT Leitung

Martin Basila, CEO of Sensoneo, expressed his pride in the company’s role in Austrian DRS: “We are very proud to be the IT partner for the DRS in Austria. The past few months have been incredibly intensive, with our team working tirelessly to ensure that our IT solution supports the Austrian DRS Administrator, EWP, in achieving its ambitious goals.”

Here is the biggest value of Sensoneo, according to Valentin Hamm, Head of the IT Department at EWP Recycling: “Sensoneo is acting as a reliable partner in terms of providing a stable software solution for a very specific purpose – operating a deposit return scheme for a whole country. Sensoneo’s expertise in other countries that started implementation of a DRS prior to Austria was not only valuable between the setup phase of the scheme in 2024, but Sensoneo is still acting as a kind of sparring partner to reflect ideas and solution approaches by Austrian colleagues. In combination with software delivered in time and quality EWP is looking forward to implementing the next needed functionalities with Sensoneo’s professional and motivated team.”