Thursday, March, 28, 2024 11:16:54

Brussels-based UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe has reportedly announced a set of voluntary measures to make the industry’s plastic packaging more sustainable. As per trusted sources, the association intends to make the primary plastic soft drinks packaging 100% recyclable by 2025.

With this announcement, UNESDA joins other European associations aiming to fulfil the European circular economy aspirations. Representing European soft drinks manufacturers including the makers of cordials, dilutables, energy drinks and still drinks, the association claims that on an average the soft drink PET bottles would at the very least contain 25% of recycled materials by 2025.

According to a press release by UNESDA, the industry has already taken some significant steps to ensure that the soft drink plastic packaging has a smaller carbon footprint by making the packaging more sustainable through various initiatives like the light-weighting program. Reportedly, the program aims to cut down the amount of raw materials used during the packaging’s manufacturing process by using more recycled materials and eliminating technical obstacles associated with recyclability.

Furthermore, the association has also reportedly made a commitment to work on optimizing and boosting the collection rates of primary plastic packaging used in soft drinks for recycling purposes.

UNESDA Director, General Sigrid Ligné reportedly stated that the industry gives utmost importance to achieving circularity through recycling, utilization of recycled PET and through optimal collection. Ligné further added that association members want all their plastic packaging to be properly collected and recycled rather than being discarded on the streets or in the waterways and oceans.

Moreover, the members have been reportedly working on the design of product packaging to attain higher recyclability. The effort of establishing and maintaining the guidelines of design would be managed by the industry, cite reliable sources.

Reportedly, the announcement is in response to the EU strategy for plastics in a circular economy which urges business associations to increase the uptake of recycled plastic.