Coca-Cola has agreed to make a series of changes to the recycling claims on its plastic bottles, according to a statement today by the European Commission, following a greenwashing complaint made by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).

The agreement follows an alert issued in November 2023 by the BEUC, along with member organizations from 13 countires against bottling companies including Coca-Cola, Danone and Nestlé, reporting that the companies were making misleading commercial claims about the recyclability of their products. The BEUC specifically highlighted three claims of concern, including “100% recyclable,”  noting that recyclability depended on factors such as the available infrastructure to collect material, the effectiveness of the sorting process, or appropriate recycling processes; “100% recycled,” noting that bottle lids and most labels are not made of recycled materials and virgin plastic is often also added, and; use of green imagery.

The Commission said that it was contacted by Coca-Cola following the alert, with the company voluntarily engaging with the EU’s Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network. Following the dialogue, Coca-Cola made a series of commitments, including replacing claims on bottles such as “I am a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic” with clearer statements such as “This bottle, excluding label and cap, is made from 100% recycled plastic,” and labels such as “Recycle me again” with “Recycle me.”

Coca-Cola also committed to ensure that the overall impression of the label and the marketing is not misleading consumers regarding environmental benefits of the packaging, the Commission said, and that digital marketing campaigns on the company’s website and social media channels reflect the content of its new commitments.

The BEUC welcomed the new commitments by Coca-Cola, but said that some of the issues that it raised remain unresolved.

Agustín Reyna, Director General of BEUC, said:

“It is good news that Coca-Cola has heeded consumers’ call and commits to clarify that its ‘100%’ recycling claims only apply to parts of the bottle. However, if it’s written in small print, the ‘100%’ figure will keep giving the impression that it’s harmless to the environment to buy plastic bottles.”