The Re-turn logo and barcode: Ireland's deposit on cans and plastic bottles
Since 1 February 2024, drinks in cans and plastic bottles sold in Ireland carry a deposit, refunded when the empty container goes back. The scheme is run by Re-turn (Deposit Return Scheme Ireland CLG), and on the label it means two things: the Re-turn logo, and a barcode registered with the scheme. This guide explains which containers are in, what the logo and the barcode must look like, and why you can't simply download the logo.
The law is the Separate Collection (Deposit Return Scheme) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 33/2024), as amended by S.I. 555/2024. The label rules are Re-turn's own, in its Technical Specification and Labelling Manual (version 3, March 2026) and its Producer Brand Guidelines – the regulations require producers to "label an in-scope product as prescribed by an approved body" (regulation 13(6)(e)). Joining the scheme, fees and reporting are questions for Re-turn; this guide covers the label.
Which containers are in
The scheme covers (regulation 3(1)):
- PET plastic bottles of 0.150 to 3 litres;
- aluminium and steel cans and bottles of 0.150 to 3 litres.
It covers every beverage except milk and dairy-based drinks (regulation 2) – beer, cider, wine, spirits, alcohol-free alternatives, water, soft drinks and juice all appear on Re-turn's list of in-scope products. Glass bottles are not part of Re-turn, and neither are plastics other than PET (regulation 3(2)), cartons, pouches, or containers under 150 ml or over 3 litres.
The deposit is €0.15 on containers up to 0.5 litres and €0.25 above (Schedule 1, as replaced by S.I. 555/2024). The amount doesn't go on the container: neither the manual nor the brand guidelines ask for it.
| Container | In Re-turn? | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| 330 ml or 440 ml can | Yes | €0.15 |
| 500 ml can | Yes | €0.15 |
| 568 ml (pint) can | Yes | €0.25 |
| 500 ml or 330 ml glass bottle | No | – |
| 750 ml glass bottle | No | – |
| 2 litre PET bottle | Yes | €0.25 |
Who has to join
The duty falls on the producer: "any person, irrespective of the selling technique used, who is first to place in-scope products on the market in the State" (regulation 2). That is the brewery for its own cans, or the importer for cans brewed abroad. A producer must be a member of an approved body – Re-turn – before placing in-scope products on the market (regulation 13(1)); one established outside Ireland appoints an authorised representative (regulation 13(2)). The regulations make no exception for small producers or for sales at the brewery door.
Each product is registered on Re-turn's portal before it is sold, with its barcode, height, width and weight, and changes to a registered container need Re-turn's approval first (Re-turn).
The logo
"The Re-turn deposit logo is required on all in scope products" (manual, section 3). The rules:
| Size | At least 9.7 mm wide × 8 mm high, at most 12 mm wide × 10 mm high (manual 3.2) |
| Clear space | At least 1 mm on all sides (manual 3.2) – so 11.7 × 10 mm to 14 × 12 mm in all |
| Colour | One colour, contrasting with the background; black on white is recommended. No multicoloured or gradient versions (manual 3.3) |
| Position | Close to the barcode, with at least 1 mm between them; never on the top or the bottom of the container (manual 3.4) |
| Printing | Printed on the container or its label in high resolution; stamped logos aren't allowed (manual 3.1) |
The brand guidelines add what you must never do to the logo: stretch, squash, rotate or flip it, set it on its side or upside down, put it in a box, remove or rescale any part of it, give it a drop shadow, or use a colour with too little contrast.
Why you can't download the Re-turn logo
Searching for "Re-turn logo PNG" or "vector" won't get you a file you may use. The logo "is only permitted for use by producers that are registered with the Deposit Return Scheme and only for products the producer, has registered with the scheme. The logo file can only be provided once a producer completes their membership registration with Re-turn" (manual 3.1.2), and it "must always be reproduced using the original digital master artwork" (manual 3.1.4). The regulations back this up: no one may display the logo on a product or its packaging "other than with the written consent of an approved body" (regulation 11).
So the order is: register with Re-turn, receive the master artwork, place it on your label. Where the logo can't be printed, Re-turn supplies self-adhesive logo stickers itself, by exception – they may not come from anyone else (manual 3.1.4 and 4.1). A container that stops being sold in Ireland is de-registered and the logo comes off (manual 3.1.3).
The barcode
Re-turn's reverse vending machines identify containers by their barcode, so the barcode rules are strict (manual, section 2):
- Type: a GS1 barcode – EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A or UPC-E – unique to the product (2.2).
- Irish or international: a barcode unique to the Republic of Ireland is what Re-turn asks for, to protect the scheme from cross-border fraud; an international barcode may be used, but may carry a surcharge (2.2.1 and 2.2.2). A new barcode is a new product on the portal (2.5).
- Size: for EAN-13 at least 29.83 × 18.28 mm, nominally 37.29 × 27.85 mm, at most 74.58 × 45.7 mm, with light margins of 3.63 mm on the left and 2.31 mm on the right (2.3).
- Standing up: placed vertically, "in the ladder format", so that the bars are horizontal when the container stands upright. A horizontal barcode needs samples tested and approved by Re-turn first (2.3.1).
- Position: at least 10 mm from the bottom of an aluminium or steel can, and never on the top or bottom of a container (2.4). On a PET bottle, on the main label, not the neck, unless Re-turn has tested and approved it.
- Quality: "Grade 1.5" under ISO 15416 throughout the container's life; black bars on white are preferred (2.1). Each can in a multipack needs its own barcode (2.1.1).
Containers for export only
Cans sold only outside the Republic of Ireland should not carry a barcode registered with the scheme, and must not have the Re-turn logo (manual 2.2.3). Northern Ireland is outside the scheme.
Fees
Re-turn's fee guide of September 2023 sets a registration fee of €500 a year for a producer placing up to 749,999 containers a year on the market, €1,000 for 750,000 to 1,499,999, and €100 per product above that, with no surcharge for an international barcode below 1.5 million containers. On top comes a producer fee per container – €0.0125 for a can and €0.02 for a PET bottle in 2023 – reviewed every year (Producer Fees Update). Check the current figures with Re-turn.
Home brewers
Home brew you drink or give away isn't placed on the market, and glass bottles are outside the scheme anyway: no logo, no registration.
With Brewlabel, a can or PET bottle sold in Ireland gets a barcode drawn standing up and, beside it, a space kept for the Re-turn logo at its largest size, 12 × 10 mm with 1 mm clear around it – outlined in the editor, empty in print, ready for the master artwork Re-turn sends you or its sticker. Review asks for the barcode, and warns when a deposit mark is put on glass. You remain responsible for the label.
Last checked: 23 October 2026
This guide explains labelling and is not legal advice. Rules and fees can change – if you sell drinks in cans or plastic bottles in Ireland, check with Re-turn.
Sources
- Irish Statute Book: S.I. 33/2024, Separate Collection (Deposit Return Scheme) Regulations 2024 (regulations 2, 3, 11, 13, 18 and 22, Schedule 1) · S.I. 555/2024, Separate Collection (Deposit Return Scheme) (Amendment) Regulations 2024
- Re-turn: Technical Specification and Labelling Manual, version 3 (March 2026) · Producer Brand Guidelines (February 2023) · In Scope and Out of Scope Containers and Products, version 2 (May 2025) · Producer Fees Update (September 2023) · Producers