As expected, little support is forthcoming from the European beverage industry for the European Commission's proposal to ban plastic beverage containers without attached caps. A study published by one of two industry associations shows that plastics consumption would rise by 50,000-200,000 t/y if the draft directive submitted by the EC were actually to come into force – see Plasteurope.com of 29.05.2018.

In addition, CO₂ emissions would rise by up to 381,000 t/y. The cost of converting production facilities is projected at up to EUR 2.7 bn. This is the result of a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC, Frankfurt / Germany; www.pwc.com) commissioned by the Union of European Beverages Associations Unesda (Brussels / Belgium; www.unesda.eu) and the European Federation of Bottled Waters (EFBW, Brussels / Belgium; www.efbw.org).

A far better way to reduce plastics waste would be to implement a more efficient collection system and stage public awareness campaigns. The associations are calling for a period of six years – up until 2025 – to demonstrate that these approaches are much more effective at helping fulfil the EC's waste reduction target. So far, no study has been conducted on the consequences of the EU proposal, critics say. According to the associations, "this measure could divert attention from the most urgent task – that of improving collection systems."

The criticised ban on disposable beverage containers is part of the disputed EU directive banning certain single-use plastic products such as straws, cotton swabs and plastic cutlery. It forms part of the EU plastics strategy presented in January 2018 – see Plasteurope.com of 19.01.2018.