Danone agrees to change recyclability labels
Danone has agreed to amend the recyclability information displayed on its plastic bottles, according to statements by the European Commission and the European Consumer Organisation, known as BEUC. The company will join Nestlé and Coca-Cola, which concluded comparable discussions in 2025 and early 2026.
Under the commitments, wording such as “I am a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic” will be replaced with “This bottle is 100% recycled. Excluding cap and label”. The companies will also change “Recycle me again” to “Recycle me”. The stated purpose is to make clear both which parts of a container are covered and whether the bottle had already been recycled before purchase.
The companies have also committed to ensuring that the combined effect of labels and marketing does not mislead consumers about the environmental benefits of plastic bottles. This includes the use of other environmental statements or symbols alongside recycling claims. National consumer-protection authorities will monitor implementation and may take enforcement action if the commitments are not followed.
BEUC represents 42 consumer organisations across 31 countries. In November 2023 it alerted European consumer authorities to what it described as misleading recyclability claims used by major bottled-water traders, including Coca-Cola, Danone and Nestlé Waters. BEUC said the claims were inconsistent with European Union rules on unfair commercial practices.
The alert led to a dialogue lasting three years and coordinated by the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation network. BEUC director general Agustín Reyna said the commitments were “great news” and that consumers needed to be able to trust companies’ environmental claims. He said Danone’s clarification that its “100%” recycling claims applied only to specific bottle components was a positive step, adding that presenting a bottle as entirely recycled or recyclable, as well as using imagery suggesting that plastic bottles have no environmental impact, should stop.
Danone also released information about its participation in the United Kingdom’s national Deposit Return Scheme, which is due to begin in October 2027. The scheme will add a small deposit to eligible drinks containers at the point of sale and return it when an empty container is brought back for recycling. Danone said it was a founding member of Exchange for Change, the Deposit Management Organisation, and was working with retailers on the scheme’s preparation.
The company cited Ireland, where recycling rates for plastic bottles and drinks cans rose from 49% to more than 90%. It also said that its evian and Volvic bottles were already produced with 100% recycled PET, excluding caps and labels. The European Union’s directive on empowering consumers for the green transition, known as EmpCo, is among the measures addressing vague environmental claims.
