Broken promises: European food companies constantly fall short of plastic pledges, shows investigation

17 Aug 2022 --- The majority of European food companies that pledge to improve their use of plastic packaging either fail to do so or never report on their pledges again, according to recent research carried out by a network of investigative journalists.

The findings show that of 37 pledges by major companies that should have already been delivered, 68% either failed or were never reported on again. Moreover, when companies fail to meet their pledges, they usually don’t announce this openly, finds the report. 

Instead, they silently drop the target or shift the goal posts instead. The research was carried out by Deutsche Welle, and the European Data Journalism Network. Together, they identified 98 plastics commitments from 24 food and drink companies headquartered in Europe that were made during the past 20 years. 

Over half of these pledges were made in the past few years, with most offering the stated aim of 2025. However, given the track record, environmental researchers are skeptical. Tycho Van Hauwaert, policy officer industry & circular economy at Flemish campaign group Bond Beter Leefmilieu tells PackagingInsights he is unsurprised by the findings. 

“Voluntary agreements with the plastic industry won’t work. There are yet not enough incentives to work on the recyclability of materials and use of recycled content.” 

Recycled plastic bottles are hard to achieve as the price and availability of rPET is so low.Empty promises? 
In 2008, Danone promised that its plastic water bottles would contain 50% recycled plastic within a year. That target changed repeatedly. By 2009, the company said it aimed to achieve 20-30% in 2011 and “50% eventually.” 

By 2020, Danone still used only 20% recycled PET (rPET) in its water bottles worldwide. For 2025, 16 years after its first self-imposed deadline, Danone set itself the same original goal of 50% rPET content in water bottles.

Even in successful commitments, the report indicates that many of these cases are likely public relations stunts. For example, a 2021 investigation by the European Commission found that 42% of online claims regarding environmental sustainability were exaggerated, false or deceptive. 

Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice, alluded to “unscrupulous traders who pull the wool over consumers’ eyes.”

Market challenges 
Despite these failings, genuine difficulties do inhibit companies from fulfilling their aims. For example, achieving a significant rPET content in water bottles is increasingly difficult due to the shortage of material throughout Europe.  

Over the past year, the price of rPET has more than doubled, largely due to the boom in demand and the lengthy process of accrediting recycling facilities. However, other industries – particularly the fashion industry – also use the plastic bottle supply for advertising recycled plastic content in their products. 

UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe explained this disrupts the circular economy since food companies do not get back what they contribute to waste. 

However, despite these issues, the findings of the recent investigation show that most food companies seem to purposefully make unrealistic pledges and false claims about their plastic usage to entice consumers. 

Redesign and responsibility 
Van Hauwaert emphasizes that if real targets are to be set and stuck to, they must be made mandatory, and more focus should be put on redesign. 

“Extended producer responsibility must be more important if we want the companies to reach their targets. Producers of packaging need to be more responsible for their products, and there is a need for incentives to develop products in an environmentally sustainable way,” he says. 

“This will also make sure that they think about the packaging design and that if they end up in the waste bin, the quality will be high, and the waste can be recycled. This is necessary to develop a strategic market for recycled plastics, making them less independent of gas to produce new plastics.” 

Innovation subsidies to create new, more easily recyclable designs would also help shift the status quo, Van Hauwaert concludes. 

By Louis Gore-Langton