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European soft drinks sector rolls out tailored tool to facilitate soft drinks life cycle assessments

 

Today, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe has announced the launch of a tailored LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) online tool for the soft drinks industry1.

This LCA tool, built in collaboration with technology services company Pilario, enables soft drinks companies to measure, compare and improve the environmental performance of their products, taking into account the ingredients they source, the packaging they use and how their beverages are transported and distributed. It can also contribute to sustainability reporting, and be used to assess performance against industry standards.

The tool integrates all the key elements of the ‘’shadow’’ soft drinks Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR)2 that UNESDA co-developed with Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk.

Nicholas Hodac, Director General of UNESDA, commented: ‘’We are excited to have the first LCA tool tailored specifically for our sector, thanks to our great collaboration with Pilario and Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk. We can now use a practical and user-friendly LCA solution to step up our environmental efforts. This tool is an important service UNESDA offers to its members to help them drive their transition toward packaging sustainability, reinforcing our sector’s ongoing commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of our packaging.’’

Alycia Purcell, CEO of Pilario, stated: ‘’Pilario is pleased to have provided the soft drinks sector with an innovative LCA tool that members can use for eco-design and sustainability reporting. Using a software reduces costs and allows scalability across sustainability operations and reporting. Our clients see considerable cost reductions for consultants, and a decrease in the time spent measuring and improving their product’s impact. We are happy to bring this innovation to the soft drinks sector and see progress in the industry toward environmentally friendly practices.” 

Elisabeth Keijzer, Senior Consultant and Project Manager at Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk, said: ‘’Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk is thrilled to have co-developed a ‘’shadow’’ soft drinks Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) with the soft drinks sector. This PEFCR is essential for offering soft drinks companies a clear, harmonised methodology to assess the environmental impact of their products, ensuring that LCA results are reliable and comparable.’’

 

****ENDS****

Note to Editors

1 For more information on the LCA tool for the soft drinks industry, please contact irebelo@unesda.eu.

2 The “shadow” soft drinks Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) provides all the necessary environmental footprint guidance and methodology to assess the lifecycle of soft drinks, helping to harmonise methodologies across companies and countries. These guidelines are as much as possible in line with the generic PEFCR as developed by the European Commission, and in particular with the PEFCRs for packed water and beer. At the time this document was prepared, there was no open call launched by the European Commission to develop an official PEFCR. The aim of the “shadow” PEFCR was, therefore, to stay as close as possible to existing PEFCRs in order to have a solid methodology that can serve as the foundation when an opportunity arises to develop an official PEFCR for soft drinks.

 

For further information, please contact:

Inês Rebelo, Senior Communications Manager, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe

irebelo@unesda.eu, M: +32 477 860 901

 

About UNESDA

Established in 1958, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe is the Brussels-based trade association representing the non-alcoholic beverages sector. Its membership comprises 12 companies and 27 national associations from across Europe. UNESDA members are involved in the production and/or distribution of a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages including still drinks, carbonated drinks, energy drinks, iced teas, flavoured waters and sports drinks. www.unesda.eu

 


About Pilario

Backed by over 30 years of experience in sustainability assessment at RDC environment, Pilario was born to make Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculations scalable and accessible to all. Pilario supports companies in any sector in their sustainability journey by providing a hands-on software to empower users of any background to perform PCF and LCA calculations independently. The results are delivered in formats that are compliant and aligned with current regulations and industry standards, including CSRD and GHG accounting. The scenario feature allows users to understand their product from a whole new lens, enabling them to identify environmental hotspots and assess alternatives. With Pilario, preparing for upcoming regulations and improving the impact of your products is easy and straightforward. www.pilario.com

 

About Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk

Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk is a leading international expert in food system sustainability, dedicated to creating a sustainable and healthy planet for current and future generations. It enables organizations to assess their environmental footprint through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), combining expert consultancy, high-quality data, and software solutions, all grounded in the latest scientific developments and international standards. www.blonksustainability.nl

 

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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)