Danone has agreed to change the labelling on its plastic bottles to make recyclability claims clearer, according to statements from the European Commission and the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).
Nestlé and Coca-Cola had already concluded their discussions and agreed to commitments in 2025 and early 2026. Now Danone has joined the drinks giants. According to the EU Commission, all three companies will now:
- Replace claims on bottles’ labels such as “I am a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic” with “This bottle is 100% recycled. Excluding cap and label” to ensure factually clear and correct information regarding recyclability and composition
- Replace claims on bottles’ labels such as “Recycle me again” with “Recycle me”, so companies do not give consumers the false impression, when encouraging them to recycle the bottle, that the bottle was already recycled before purchase and can be recycled into another bottle again
- Ensure that the overall impression of the label and the marketing is not misleading regarding the inherent environmental benefits of plastic bottles, for instance by combining them with other green claims or symbols
National consumer protection authorities will monitor the implementation of these commitments and may proceed with enforcement measures if companies fail to comply with them, according to the EU Commission.
Why did this happen?
It has been a long road to change.
The European Consumer Organisation (the BEUC acronym is from its French name: Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs) is an umbrella group for 42 consumer organisations from 31 countries. In November 2023, it issued an alert to EU consumer authorities about misleading claims on the recyclability of products by major drinking water bottle traders, such as Coca-Cola, Danone and Nestlé Waters. It stated that such claims do not comply with the EU rules on unfair commercial practices.
This prompted the three-year dialogue, co-ordinated by the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network, that is now concluded.
“It is great news that the three companies flagged by consumer organisations, Danone, Nestlé and Coca-Cola, have now committed to changing their practices to stop misleading consumers about the recyclability of their products,” says BEUC Director General Agustín Reyna. “Consumers need to be able to trust companies’ environmental claims. Danone’s decision to clarify, as the other traders, that its ’100%’ recycling claims apply only to certain parts of the bottle is a good move for consumers who are concerned about of plastics polluting our soils, rivers and oceans.
“Presenting a bottle as 100% recycled or recyclable is simply misleading and must stop, as must the green imagery that suggests that plastic drink bottles have no environmental impact.”
The future of recycling
Danone also yesterday released information about its commitment to the UK’s national Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which comes into force in October 2027. Eligible drinks containers will have a small deposit added at the point of sale, and the deposit is returned if the customer brings the empty container back for recycling.
It has been a success in Ireland where recycling rates for plastic bottles and drinks cans increased from 49% to more than 90%.
“Our focus at Danone is now on how we can help make DRS work well from day one. As a founding member of the Deposit Management Organisation, Exchange for Change, we are contributing directly to the design and delivery of the scheme, while working with retailers to prepare for launch.”
The release included a reference to its bottles: “At Danone, our evian and Volvic bottles are already made using 100% recycled PET, excluding caps and labels.”
End of greenwashing
Authorities are increasingly cracking down on greenwashing with measures such as the recent EU directive Empowering Customers for the Green Transition (EmpCo) that targets vague environmental claims. Combined with consumers becoming more alert to misleading labelling, brands will need to think carefully about the claims they make about everything from the supply chain up to the finished product.
