Danone to revise plastic bottle recycling claims across Europe

EUROPE – Danone has agreed to change recycling-related claims on its plastic bottles across Europe following discussions with European Union consumer protection authorities, with 18 months to revise bottle labels and three months to update digital marketing.

The European Commission said the agreement followed a dialogue with the EU’s Consumer Protection Cooperation network, coordinated by the Swedish Consumer Agency and the Hungarian Competition Authority. 

Under its commitments, Danone will clarify claims such as “100% recycled plastic” and “100% recycled PET” to specify that the percentages refer only to the bottle body, excluding the cap and label. 

The clarification must appear with equal prominence and in the same font size as the main claim, preventing brands from using large-print sustainability statements while burying exclusions in fine print.

Virgin PET Scraps Excluded From Recycled Claims

The company, which owns the Volvic brand, also committed to ensuring that packaging described as containing recycled plastic does not include virgin PET scraps or factory offcuts that have not undergone an authorised recycling process under EU regulations. 

The agreements also address language suggesting that plastic bottles can be recycled indefinitely in a closed loop. 

Coca-Cola is replacing labels featuring “Recycle me again” with “Recycle me,” while Nestlé’s water business will change its “Let’s meet again!” wording and may replace it with calls to action such as “Recycle me.”

Enforcement Timelines Separate Physical and Digital Assets

Danone must implement the label changes within 18 months and update its digital marketing materials and brand websites within three months. 

The split timeline recognises that digital assets can be amended rapidly through content management systems, while physical packaging requires artwork revisions, print plate changes and inventory turnover across retail channels.

Consumer Group Urges Regulatory Monitoring

The case originated from a complaint filed nearly three years ago by the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs, supported by environmental organisations ClientEarth and the Environmental Coalition on Standards. 

Coca-Cola submitted its commitments in May last year, followed by Nestlé in March 2026, with Danone the final company targeted to agree to changes. 

Agustín Reyna, director general of the consumer group, welcomed Danone’s commitment but urged authorities to monitor compliance, stating that presenting a bottle as 100 percent recycled or recyclable was misleading and must stop, along with green imagery suggesting plastic drink bottles have no environmental impact. 

The organisation added that it expected authorities to check that all three traders followed through on their promises.

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