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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

Check out our latest progress report on our commitments under the EU-Agri Food Code 👉 unesda.eu/wp-content/u...

UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

♻️ helping create a more level playing field between virgin and recycled materials through incentives that encourage recycling and the use of recycled content; ♻️ avoiding unnecessary barriers to imports of recyclates that could restrict access, limit supply, and increase costs.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

♻️ supporting greater availability of food-grade recycled material through closed-loop recycling to help ensure that beverage bottles and cans can be recycled back into new beverage bottles and cans;

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

➡️ 𝐄𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬. The upcoming EU Circular Economy Act should be a key enabler by:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

➡️ 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 30% 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞, which restricts the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners. This rule is not science-based, only exists in the EU and limits the sector’s ability to further reduce sugar.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

Nicholas and Delphine underline that our sector can only make further progress if the right 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 are provided:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

✅ 60.3% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐄𝐓 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐄𝐓. This achievement is well above our sector target of 50% recycled content by 2025, and also exceeds the EU's mandatory requirements.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

✅ 𝐚 14% 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 2019 𝐚𝐧𝐝 2025, surpassing our sector’s 10% reduction target. This comes on top of the reductions already made over previous years, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 36.3% 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 12h

🎥 ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦: 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 - 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺.’ In a new video, our Director General, Nicholas Hodac, and Senior Public Affairs Manager, Delphine Close, present UNESDA’s latest results under its EU Agri-Food Code commitments:

youtube.com

Delivering for consumers and the environment: Europe's soft drinks sector's progress

YouTube video by UNESDA - Soft Drinks Europe

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

🔹how recycled content targets will be calculated.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

🔹the definition of packaging ‘necessary to facilitate handling’. Plastic shrink film used as grouped packaging will be banned from 2030 unless deemed necessary to facilitate handling. Businesses need clarity on which packaging formats will remain permitted;

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

🔹 the criteria for exemptions from the reuse targets

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

🎤 In an interview with Charlotte Niemiec from Chemical Watch, our Senior Public Affairs Manager, Delphine Close, discussed the key implementation challenges of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) for our sector, stressing the need for the European Commission to provide clarity on:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

♻️ making recycled materials more competitive than virgin materials through incentives that encourage recycling and the use of recycled content; ♻️ avoiding unnecessary barriers to imports of recyclates that could restrict access, limit supply, and increase costs.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

♻️ prioritising closed-loop recycling and ensuring beverage producers have fair access to sufficient recycled material to help ensure that used beverage bottles and cans can be recycled back into new beverage bottles and cans;

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

👉 Moving away from discriminatory taxes on soft drinks. Current evidence from countries that have introduced these taxes shows that they have not led to meaningful health improvements. 👉 Making circularity a positive business case for Europe through the upcoming EU Circular Economy Act by:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

👉 Removing unnecessary regulatory barriers that lack a sound scientific or technical basis, such as the EU’s 30% energy reduction rule, which limits the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners, and restricts opportunities for further sugar reduction.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Nicholas makes it clear that continued progress cannot happen without the right regulatory framework, and outlines the following key enablers for our sector:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

✅ 60.3% of the PET used in our plastic bottles is recycled PET. That's well above our sector target of 50% recycled content by 2025 and significantly exceeds the EU's mandatory requirements of 25%.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

✅ A 14% reduction* in average added sugars in our soft drinks across Europe between 2019 and 2025. This exceeds our sector’s 10% reduction target for the same period, and builds on the progress we have made in previous years, bringing the total average reduction to 36.3% over the last two decades;

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

🌍 What progress has Europe's soft drinks sector delivered for consumers and the environment? From sugar reduction to packaging circularity, our sector continues to turn voluntary commitments into meaningful results. In his latest op-ed, our DG, Nicholas Hodac, highlights our sector’s achievements:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip 🍂 One for autumn lovers! These are some of the best destinations in Europe to see autumn colours 👇 www.euronews.com/2026/09/11/l...

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

* For example, a recent study by Tax Foundation Europe concludes that soft drink taxes do not deliver health benefits even after years of implementation, as obesity rates continue to rise in countries where these taxes have been introduced. Check out the study 👇 taxfoundation.org/research/all...

taxfoundation.org

Soda Taxes Won't Fix Global Health

The empirical evidence thus far on sugar-sweetened beverage taxes fails to support claims that these taxes will create substantial health benefits. At the same time, their structural limitations make...

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

🔔 It is crucial to understand what people eat and drink and how much, and, based on this data, the EU can target the real causes of obesity.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

🔔 Our sector does not need taxation to take action and reduce sugar. We began reducing the average sugar content in our soft drinks well before any taxation was introduced. We have already achieved a 36.3% reduction in average added sugars across Europe over the past two decades.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The study found that nearly three-quarters of Romanian consumers support promoting healthier choices through education and personal responsibility, instead of taxes. In the interview, Nicholas underlined two other key points:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The study found that nearly three-quarters of Romanian consumers support promoting healthier choices through education and personal responsibility, instead of taxes.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The interview took place on the sidelines of an event organised by our Romanian member association, Asociația Națională pentru Băuturi Răcoritoare, where the findings of a new study on Romanians’ perception of the soft drink tax were presented.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Our Director General, Nicholas Hodac, was recently interviewed by the Romanian press on soft drink taxation.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

‘The data has shown*, all around Europe, all those countries that have introduced a sugar tax on soft drinks have seen obesity rates continuing to go up. It just demonstrates that taxing soft drinks will not address obesity.’

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

🔎 Curious to find out more? Check out the BSDA report www.britishsoftdrinks.com/media/1bne1p... #OurSectorMatters

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It has contributed the majority of the more than £1 billion (€1.2bn) being invested to establish a UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), supporting the creation of more than 4,300 jobs related to this scheme.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

🔹 The UK soft drinks sector continues to invest in packaging circularity, including financing beverage collection infrastructure to improve recycling rates.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

🔹BSDA members continue to make on health and wellbeing. More than seven in every 10 soft drinks sold in the UK are no-/low-calorie, with these products accounting for 71.4% of total soft drinks sales, demonstrating the sector’s strong progress in reducing sugar.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

🔹The UK soft drinks sector contributes around £5.6 billion (€6.5bn) in value added to UK GDP and supports nearly 56,000 jobs, including almost 17,000 direct roles mostly in highly skilled manufacturing.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

🔹 The UK soft drinks market reached a total value of £26.3 billion (€30.7bn) in 2025, reinforcing the sector's important role in the UK economy.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

💡📚 Nothing captures the evolution of the British soft drinks sector quite like the 2026 Annual Industry Insights Report, published by our British member association, the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA). What does this report tell us?

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

🍽️ A little date marking knowledge can go a long way in reducing food waste and helping you enjoy food safely. So, this International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, we are sharing a quick refresher on what these food and beverage labels really mean:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

➡️ Addressing the cost gap for recycled materials. The solution is not restricting imports or requiring companies to use only EU made recycled PET. Instead, the EU needs to address high production costs and create fiscal incentives to make recycled PET more competitive compared with virgin PET.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is particularly important, as our sector must comply with strict EU food safety requirements and is currently facing strong competition for food-grade recycled material from sectors that are not subject to the same requirements.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

➡️ Prioritising high-quality and closed-loop recycling to ensure used beverage containers are recycled back into new beverage containers. For our sector, this means providing fair access to sufficient food-grade recycled material to enable bottle-to-bottle and can-to-can recycling.

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

🎥 How can the upcoming EU Circular Economy Act scale viable circular business models across Europe? Our Director General, Nicholas Hodac, highlights two crucial policy enablers for our sector:

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip 🗣️ European Day of Languages is only tomorrow, but your new language learning experience can start today. Explore some of the best language learning apps out there ⤵️ www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

♻️ By addressing potential market disruptions with targeted measures that ensure a level playing field between virgin & recycled materials, eg fiscal incentives for investments in recycling facilities or tax credits related to the use of recycled content, and lowering the costs of rPET production

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

♻️ By promoting closed-loop recycling and prioritising high-quality recycling, safeguarding fair access to sufficient food-grade recycled material

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UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe @unesda.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🔄♻️ The upcoming EU Circular Economy Act should build a strong and well-functioning market for secondary raw materials. In his article in The Parliament Magazine, our Director General, Nicholas Hodac, explains how:

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