yfood vegan bottles are going deposit!
Big news! Starting February 2025, all our vegan yfood bottles in Austria will finally come with a deposit.
Here's what's changing for you, in a nutshell:
- With Austria introducing deposits on single-use bottles and cans, we're stepping up our sustainability game. This means our vegan drinks are now part of the deposit system.
- From February 2025, all vegan yfood meal drinks in Austria will only be available in deposit bottles—both online and in stores.
- The deposit system also applies to yfood subscriptions.
- Each bottle will have a €0.25 deposit. For example, buying a tray of six bottles will add a €1.50 deposit starting February 2025.
- You can return the bottles at any standard deposit return point across Austria and get your deposit back easily.
Austria's deposit system is rolling out
As of early 2025, Austria is introducing a deposit system for single-use drink bottles and cans. This allows us to include our vegan bottles in the system, contributing to a more sustainable recycling process.
Since the current laws exclude milk and milk-based drinks from the deposit system, only our vegan varieties are affected by this change. To make the switch as smooth as possible, we're fully transitioning to deposit bottles for vegan drinks by February 2025.
What does this mean? Starting February 1, you'll only find vegan yfood in deposit bottles in Austrian supermarkets and online stores.
How to get your deposit back
Every deposit bottle will be marked with a recognisable deposit symbol. You can return these bottles to any deposit machine in Austria—whether at supermarkets, beverage stores, or other retailers—and get your deposit back. This applies even if you bought the bottles through our online shop.
The deposit is €0.25 per bottle. For a six-pack, this means an additional €1.50 per tray. While that might sound like a lot, you get it back in full—and it's a win for the planet.
Why deposits are a sustainability game-changer
The deposit system makes single-use plastic bottles way more sustainable. They're collected, cleaned, and shredded, which is key to reintegrating them into a circular recycling economy. This helps Europe reuse valuable resources and reduce waste. It’s a win for the environment, society, and—you guessed it—you!
Why plastic bottles at all?
We've asked ourselves this question from the very beginning and carefully weighed all options. For now, the short answer is: Yes, plastic is necessary. Plastic is currently the best packaging material for our products because it fulfils several critical functions, such as:
- Efficiently protecting the drinks from light and oxygen.
- Preserving all vitamins and minerals in the product for a long time.
- Ensuring a long shelf life, which helps reduce food waste.
However, we're committed to making continuous progress and testing innovative alternatives. Our goal is to use plastic as resource-efficiently as possible. We've already reduced the packaging material by 10% and save CO₂ in logistics thanks to the lightweight design. Additionally, our yfood bottles already contain 30% recycled plastic, and we’re working on steadily increasing this percentage.
Still have questions?
If there's anything we haven't covered here, check out our FAQs or reach out to our Customer Service team. We're happy to help!