European soft drinks industry sets sustainable packaging goals

The Union of European Soft Drinks Associations (Unesda) has set new sustainable packaging goals, including a commitment to ensure that 100% of soft drinks plastic packaging across the EU will be recyclable by 2025.

Other commitments made by the Union include a target to ensure that PET bottles used for soft drinks will contain a minimum of 25% recycled material by 2025, and an aim to increase collection and recycling rates of plastic bottles across the EU.

A statement from the Union says that beverage packaging is already the most collected packaging across the EU, and these new ambitions will aim to build a circular model for plastic packaging by further improving its recyclability, recycled content, collection, and reuse.

The commitment will cover all current EU nations, as well as Switzerland and Norway.

Unesda director general, Sigrid Ligné said: “Achieving circularity through optimal collection, recycling and use of recycled PET is a top priority for our industry.

“Unesda members want all their packaging, including plastics, to be collected and recycled and not discarded on our streets, oceans and waterways.

“To achieve this, packaging collection systems must be well designed, set-up and managed by industry.

“Improved collection and recycling, alongside greater consumer awareness, are key to increasing the rPET content of beverage bottles.”