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The European soft drinks sector has made good progress on its commitments under the EU Code of Conduct in the past year (2020-2021).

 

KEY RESULTS

Wood cube block stacking with icon. Concept of business strategy and goal action plan.

     Sugar reduction

  • UNESDA’s members achieved a 3.6% reduction in average added sugars in their soft drinks between 2019 and 2021 (part of the sector’s commitment to reduce average sugars by a further 10% by 2025)
  • Already 14 UNESDA’s national associations have made national sugar reduction commitments inspired by the UNESDA commitment at EU level, with deadlines from 2025 to 2030.

     Circularity of soft drinks packaging

  • For most of UNESDA corporate members, now more than 96% of their packaging is fully recyclable.
  • UNESDA corporate members have considerably increased the use of recycled plastic content in their packaging, with increases going from +4% to +30% between 2020 and 2021.
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Further progress will be possible with a supportive EU legislative framework. In particular, Unesda is calling for the creation of the following enablers:

 

Health and nutrition:

  • The promotion of a multi-faceted and multi-stakeholder approach to address obesity and overweight, calling for collective action from all actors.
  • The recognition of meaningful voluntary approaches to sugar reduction as efficient alternatives to regulation.
  • Support to the use of ingredients (e.g. low-calorie sweeteners) approved as safe by health authorities.
  • Regular and reliable pan-European monitoring of food and drink consumption intakes and patterns to better understand what interventions work for what population groups.
  • The adoption of an EU-wide, interpretative, front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme that avoids fragmentation of the Single Market, is based on sound science and evidence, and which does not discriminate foods or ingredients.

 

Circular packaging:

  • The introduction of EU minimum requirements for new Deposit Refund Systems across Europe to guarantee high collection rates of beverage packaging.
  • A well-functioning secondary raw materials market that gives the soft drinks sector fair access to sufficient high-quality recycled PET: despite the soft drinks sector’s great progress in the field, Unesda is concerned by the lack of guarantee to access the necessary material to meet the sector’s commitments in the future.
  • Realistic targets and a well-managed integration towards an increase in reusable beverage systems.

Current water challenges

We cannot deny the current water challenges our world is facing. We are experiencing increased water scarcity, with demands for safe, usable water exceeding supply in many areas, including in Europe. 

  • Freshwater use has been growing by about 1% per year since the 1980s and as water demand is expected to continue increasing at a similar rate until 2050, this will account for an increase of 20 to 30% above the current level of water use1.
  • This increase in water demand is leading to a reduction of renewable water resources of 24% per capita in Europe2. 
  • Around 30% of the European population lives in areas with permanent water stress and up to 70% live in areas with seasonal water stress during summer3.
  • Europe’s aquatic ecosystems are severely degraded: only 17% of protected river, lake, alluvial, and riparian habitats are in good conservation status and 90% of protected wetland habitats are classified as poor or bad4.
  • Globally, 85% of wetlands have been lost in the last 300 years, with more than 50% lost since 19905. This is particularly critical as wetlands play an important role in filtering water and removing pollutants, as well as providing shelter to wildlife and capturing carbon.

 

This situation entails severe risks for the world’s population. 

  • For the last decade, the World Economic Forum has placed water-related risks among the world’s top five in its annual Global Risks Report. 
  • Water-related disasters have also dominated the list of disasters over the past 50 years and account for 70% of all deaths related to natural disasters6.
  • Nearly 95% of infrastructure loss and damage reported between 2010 to 2019 were due to water-related disasters7. 
  • More frequent and intensive flooding has cost lives and livelihoods across Europe, while at the same time, more than 50% of the continent has, in recent years, been affected by extreme drought conditions, which also breed a range of negative social, economic and human outcomes8.

A situation driven by a combination of factors

The deterioration of the natural water cycle stems from a confluence of factors: growing urbanisation, growing populations, increased consumption, poor management, pollution, lack of or damaged infrastructure, and climate change.  

Agriculture was responsible for 59% of total freshwater use in Europe in 20179, while industrial and domestic uses are the main drivers of increasing water demand. Indeed, as economies industrialise, populations urbanise and water supply and sanitation systems expand. 

Additionally, rising temperatures and more extreme weather patterns are causing more droughts and flooding. Climate variability is also bringing more uncertainty as to the availability, predictability and geographical distribution of water. Water and climate change are inextricably linked. From unpredictable rainfall patterns to shrinking ice sheets, rising sea levels, floods and droughts – most impacts of climate change come down to water (UN Water). 

1 Chart of Global Fresh Water Use 1901-2014 – The Global Education Project

2 Water use in Europe — Quantity and quality face big challenges — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)Chart of Global Fresh Water Use 1901-2014 – The Global Education Project

3 Water stress is a major and growing concern in Europe — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)

4 Europe’s state of water 2024: the need for improved water resilience | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)Water stress is a major and growing concern in Europe — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)

5 Innovative Solutions Needed for Wetlands in Crisis – SDG Knowledge Hub (iisd.org)

6 Water Resources Management Overview: Development news, research, data | World Bank Innovative Solutions Needed for Wetlands in Crisis – SDG Knowledge Hub (iisd.org)

7 Water risks and resilience (undrr.org)

8 Risks and solutions: how climate change is impacting our water and health | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)

9 Water scarcity conditions in Europe (Water exploitation index plus) | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)Risks and solutions: how climate change is impacting our water and health | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)