Mandatory Reuse Systems are Coming to Europe, While Coca-Cola Perplexingly Abandons Goal
Following final approval of new EU regulatory requirements for reuse, Oceana highlights Coca-Cola’s shortsighted decision to eliminate goal to increase reusable packaging
Press Release Date: December 18, 2024
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Contact:
Gillian Spolarich | email: gspolarich@oceana.org
202-467-1909
The Council of the European Union yesterday formally adopted a new regulation which will require shops across the European Union to sell drinks in reusable packaging. Under the new regulation, a minimum of 10% of beverages on store shelves will need to be in reusable packaging by 2030, rising to an aspirational target of 40% by 2040. The new law, ‘The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation’ (PPWR), entering into force in January 2025, will apply to the 27 countries of the EU and impact approximately 440 million consumers. What this means is many of these consumers will soon be given the option to purchase drinks in reusable packaging — and avoid contributing to single-use packaging waste — in countries where this option currently doesn’t exist.
The final adoption of the regulation is in stark contrast to the decision of Coca-Cola — whose drinks are sold in reusable glass and plastic bottles in countries around the world — to abandon its voluntary goal to increase reusable packaging earlier this month.
“The EU chose reuse and it’s high time for beverage companies and top plastic polluters, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, to prioritise refillable bottles and take urgent action now to scale up reusable packaging systems in all EU countries,” said Dr. Dana Miller, Oceana’s Director of Strategic Initiatives. “Given this regulatory development, Coca-Cola’s recent decision to drop its reuse target and double down on single-use plastic is puzzling. The new EU law presents an enormous opportunity for beverage and bottling companies — like Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, and PepsiCo — to secure 40% of the market by prioritizing reuse. The economic incentive is strong, and the environmental incentives even stronger. Our oceans are being overwhelmed by plastic pollution and only reducing the production of plastic and a radical shift to reusable packaging systems can adequately address this crisis. The rising tide of evidence linking plastic to human health issues is also becoming harder to ignore. The regulatory landscape is changing, the world is turning to reuse, and it’s time for leading beverage companies to finally do the right thing for the planet, our oceans, and our health.”
Reusable packaging is effective at reducing plastic pollution because a single refillable bottle can be used up to 50 times and a reusable cup over 100 times. Each use eliminates the need for a single-use bottle or cup that would otherwise have been thrown away or littered, with either pathway possibly leading to the ocean.
Two of the largest soft drink bottling companies in the world are based in Europe and operate across the European Union — Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (Coca-Cola HBC). These companies both have experience operating large-scale refillable bottling systems in places like the Philippines, Germany, and Nigeria. Oceana is calling on these companies to commit to scaling up reusable packaging in all their markets and to lead a European — and global — transition to reuse.
Key elements of the PPWR include:
- Reduction Targets: Legal obligations to reduce packaging waste by at least 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035, and 15% by 2040.
- Reusable Packaging Mandates: Specific targets for reusable packaging for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (with some exceptions) set at a legally binding minimum of 10% by 2030, and aiming to reach at least 40% by 2040.
- Take-Away Food and Beverages: Take-away businesses will be required to implement reuse systems for packaging by 2028 and shall endeavour to achieve 10% reuse by 2030.
- Deposit Return Systems: By 2029, EU Member States are required to set up deposit return systems for beverage cans and plastic bottles and the systems should be as accessible for reuse as for single-use packaging.
- Prohibitions on Single-Use Plastics: By 2030, the new regulation will ban single-use plastic packaging for a wide range of products in the HORECA sector (hotels, restaurants, and cafés), including beverage packaging.
The implications of this legislation, once enacted, will be vast, impacting major beverage companies like PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, and its European bottlers CCEP and Coca-Cola HBC. Aspects of the regulation not only apply to manufacturers but also to suppliers, importers, distributors, and retailers, who will be tasked with ensuring a portion of their packaging is reusable.
To learn more about Oceana’s campaign to reduce plastics, go to Oceana.org/plastics.
About Oceana:
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 300 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world.
