Germany's "Green Point" recycling system

The German Verpackungsverordnung (Packaging Act), which regulated recycling, went into effect in 1991. The previous year, the company Duales System Deutschland (DSD) had already licensed its graphic symbol, the “Grüne Punkt“ (Green Point) to manufacturers of recyclable materials. The symbol was intended to encourage consumers to purchase items marked with the symbol and to dispose of the packaging at specific sites. In spite of costly informational campaigns, the system is criticized for failing to get consumers to sort properly. This, however, has not affected the country’s reputation among its neighbors as a population of “sorters and savers.”