As 2024 draws to a close, we have reflected on the key milestones for our sector this year and identified some headline policy aspirations for the year ahead. On behalf of our colleagues Nicholas Hodac, Helen Benson and Delphine Close, here are our thoughts.
Earlier this year, we launched our Manifesto to start engaging with EU stakeholders and share our vision for our sector and for the EU’s 2024-2029 policy priorities.
As an association, we are ending the year on a high note with the expansion of our membership covering a larger geographical scope and a broader set of players in the soft drinks sector. This means a lot to us and also reflects the trust and alignment to work together towards common goals.
Promoting a balanced diet remains a key priority for our society. We have been a leader in sugar reduction for decades and remain committed to continuing our voluntary actions, including reducing the average sugar content in our soft drinks. Our efforts have proven to be effective: since 2000, UNESDA members have achieved an average sugar reduction of 33.9%, and we are committed to making even further progress. To succeed, policy support for the use of no- and low-calorie sweeteners is crucial. These ingredients, when used to replace sugar, are a safe and effective tool for reducing sugar consumption and aiding with weight management.
In our sector, we show how voluntary initiatives help achieve broader positive impact. They should continue to be recognised and supported by the European Commission, through the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices. This powerful EU initiative encourages the industry to take voluntary action to build a healthier and more sustainable food system in Europe and successfully drives progress. What is not effective, however, is soft drink taxation as there is no evidence suggesting that it has resulted in improved health outcomes.
As the new EU mandate unfolds and as highlighted in European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen political guidelines, there will be a strong focus on simplifying legislation and maintaining open dialogues with stakeholders to ‘’discuss how best to align implementation with realities on the ground.’’ We very much welcome this approach as it aims to create a more innovative-friendly environment for businesses, helping them to stay competitive. In this regard, it is critical to work towards evidence-based policies that do not discriminate against any specific food, drink, or ingredient. To establish a firm basis for policy-making, we count on the European Commission to address the current lack of accurate and comparable data on food and drink consumption patterns in Europe. We first need to know what Europeans are actually consuming to understand which actions could be effective to better promote healthier diets.
On the sustainability front, this year ended with the successful adoption of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which represents an important milestone for creating a circular economy for beverage packaging. During the entire decision-making process, our sector worked with industry peers and NGOs to drive measures which will accelerate the circularity of our packaging. We are proud that these have made it through the PPWR and will create an enabling legislative framework for beverage packaging circularity. We now look forward to a fruitful collaboration with the European Commission and other stakeholders to secure smooth implementation of the new law, based on well-designed secondary legislation.
Furthermore, this year saw increased policy attention to water issues with the announcement of a European Water Resilience Strategy in President von der Leyen’s 2024-2029 policy guidelines. Water is a critical raw material that the EU should prioritise. Our sector stands ready to work with the new European Commission to advance this agenda. We count on EU decision-makers to encourage investments in infrastructure promoting the conservation and restoration of water resources and providing fair and equitable access to water for citizens and businesses.
At UNESDA level, this year was also marked by the development of our own Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules for soft drinks, a key tool to support our member companies in performing life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of their products. An online LCA tool is also under development, so stay tuned for further news in 2025.
To conclude, we want to take this opportunity to extend a special thank-you to our members for their ongoing engagement, support, and expertise in driving our actions forward. Their commitment to UNESDA is instrumental in ensuring we remain constructive and impactful. Together, we are strengthening UNESDA as an ever more united and forward-thinking network, committed to fostering positive change. Thank you also to all the stakeholders we have worked with. We look forward to reinforcing these partnerships.
Let’s continue to work closely together to drive meaningful progress in 2025!
