The "100% recycled" and "100% recyclable" messages on some PET bottles are to be removed. Following an alert in November 2023 from the European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC), with the support of the NGOs ClientEarth and ECOS, the European Commission has askedCoca-Cola to correct the wording on its labels. According to the complainants, the claim is misleading, as it implies that the entire bottle is made from recycled plastic, which is neither technically accurate nor in line with European requirements on marketing practices.
Recycling promises too broad for the facts
In the European Union, bottle caps cannot be made from recycled plastic, for food safety reasons. Labels, meanwhile, are rarely made from recycled plastic. And the use of virgin plastic in the body of the bottle is still frequent.
According to the NGOs, Coca-Cola's promise creates a false impression of total circularity.
In addition to words, images are also targeted. BEUC's complaint criticizes the widespread use of green symbols, recycling loops and natural landscapes, which can give the illusion of a closed cycle or environmental neutrality.
Brussels confirms labelling change
On May 6, 2025, the European Commission confirmed that Coca-Cola was committed to changing its labeling. The soda farbicant will ensure that PET bottles labeled "made from 100% recycled plastic" will not contain materials derived from virgin PET or virgin PET offcuts that have been reused without undergoing a recycling process.
In addition, new wording will specify that only the bottle, excluding the cap and label, is made from recycled plastic, and the words "Recycle me again" will become "Recycle me".
Graphic elements likely to give the wrong impression of complete recycling will also be removed.
Partial recycling far from the message
BEUC points out that the average recycling rate for PET bottles in the European Union is around 55%. Of these, only an estimated 30% become new bottles. For BEUC Director General Agustín Reyna, claims that packaging is fully recycled or recyclable are unfounded. He believes that these messages wrongly reinforce the idea that buying a plastic bottle has no environmental impact.
Other brands targeted, proceedings continue
The complaint sent to the European authorities was not limited to Coca-Cola. Other brands, including Danone and Nestlé Waters, have also been singled out for similar allegations.
BEUC is calling for greater vigilance over labeling practices in the bottled drinks sector, and for national authorities to intervene if commitments made are not respected. The organization is also calling for a stricter framework for environmental messages, to avoid confusion on the part of consumers.
