Environmental and consumer protection organizations in the European Union have filed a legal complaint against food and drink companies for their use of “100% recyclable” or “100% recycled” claims on plastic water bottles sold across Europe, according to a press release by environmental group ClientEarth.
EU consumer protection organisation BEUC (Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs), supported by ClientEarth and ECOS (Environmental Coalition on Standards) has raised an external alert to the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network against multiple companies for alleged infringement of consumer protection law.
The food and drink companies involved are Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Danone.
The group filing the complaint argues that the “100% recyclable” claims suggest that bottles can be recycled in an infinite, circular loop. Lawyers say these statements, often reinforced by ‘green’ imagery and generic environmental catchphrases, may mislead consumers into viewing single-use bottles as a ‘sustainable’ choice.
“The reality is single use plastic is neither circular nor sustainable,” said Rosa Pritchard, plastics lawyer at ClientEarth. “Recycling can never catch up with the sheer volume of plastic produced on our planet. Companies are in a unique position to change how we consume, but currently these claims – which we consider to be misleading – are making it hard for consumers to make good environmental choices.”
In the E.U., the recycling rate for plastic bottles is approximately 50%, with only around 30% used to make new bottles. The remainder goes toward products like textiles, which are generally unrecyclable and more likely to end up in landfill or an incinerator.
The complaint says that the recyclability claims also fail to account for the parts of a plastic water bottle, such as lids and labels, which are not made from recycled plastic and are less likely to be effectively recycled, and the potential addition of virgin content during manufacturing.
The combined effect of these claims may risk wrongly persuading consumers across Europe that single-use packaging does not harm the environment.
“Using “100% recycled/recyclable” claims or displaying nature images and green visuals that insinuate that plastic is environmentally friendly is misleading consumers,” said Ursula Pachl, deputy director general of BEUC. “The problem is that there’s no guarantee it will be fully recycled once it’s in the bin. Such claims however can be found on many water bottles sold across Europe. This greenwashing must stop."
