07/05/2025
📢Coca-Cola will change and remove some of its packaging recycling claims in the EU, following a greenwashing complaint.
It was announced today by the European Commission that Coca-Cola will change some of its labelling practices to remove misleading recycling claims, after BEUC and its members lodged a greenwashing complaint to the Commission in 2023 which we supported.
Claims on plastic bottle labels such as “I am a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic” will no longer appear. Instead, it will be made clearer that such claims only apply to some parts of the bottle and not, for example, to caps and labels.
Coca-Cola will also make sure that product labels and marketing materials don’t mislead consumers about the environmental benefits of the packaging, which includes through the use of green imagery or symbols.
These changes will help guard against consumers being mislead into seeing recycling as the whole solution to the plastic crisis, when in reality it never will be enough on its own.
Coca-Cola’s roll-out of these changes will now be monitored by national consumer protection authorities. Authorities will also assess the practices of other major bottling companies operating in the EU Single Market, and where necessary, will require from them to make similar commitments.
"This news sends a clear signal to the entire industry confirming that misleading claims about recycling can pose a legal risk. This outcome should be seen as the floor, not the ceiling. Regulators and courts across the EU now have a clear mandate to take action against such practices, which mislead consumers and breach legal standards. “Kamila Drzewicka, ClientEarth lawyer
This is a big step in the right direction, as we know that recycling alone can never stem the flow of plastic pollution. We will continue to advocate for stronger enforcement against greenwashing and clearer guidelines to protect consumers and the environment, and push to stop the production of unnecessary plastic waste at the source.
More here: https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/we-re-supporting-legal-action-against-coca-cola-nestle-and-danone-for-their-misleading-claims-about-recycling/
