Portugal's Volta deposit scheme faces data‑privacy scrutiny

The citizen group Cidadãos pela Cibersegurança (CpC) has asked Portugal's National Data Protection Commission for clarification on how personal data is handled in the Volta system, which manages the deposit and refund of plastic, metal and aluminium packaging. The request seeks details on which data categories are collected during returns, who processes the information, and whether operators can link refunds to a consumer’s identity and purchase history. CpC warns that such cross‑referencing could reveal consumption patterns, travel habits and purchase locations, and could be used for commercial or marketing purposes.

The initiative also questions whether the system can determine the time between purchase and return, what limits exist on data use, and whether the data are shared with beverage manufacturers, distributors or system managers. CpC stresses that environmental objectives must be balanced with data‑minimisation, purpose limitation, transparency and protection of fundamental rights. The Volta scheme reimburses a €0.10 deposit per container, which can be converted into cash, vouchers, loyalty‑card credits or donations.