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The European soft drinks sector has achieved a 17.7% reduction in average added sugars since 2015

Just one year after releasing ambitious new health and nutrition commitments, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe announces that the European soft drinks sector has delivered a further 3.6% reduction in average added sugars between 2019 and 2021.

This new sugar reduction milestone is part of the sector’s most recent commitment¹ to reduce average added sugars in its beverages by another 10% in the EU27 and the UK between 2019 and 2025, under the umbrella of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy and its Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices². This means that Europe’s soft drinks sector has already achieved a 17.7% reduction in average added sugars since 2015.

Ian Ellington, President of UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe and Senior Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer for PepsiCo in Europe, comments: ‘’Today’s announcement shows that our efforts to meet our latest sugar reduction target are delivering results: a further 10% reduction in average added sugars in our drinks in the EU27 and the UK from 2019 to 2025. It also demonstrates our ongoing commitment to encourage consumers towards heathier drink options by offering them more no- and low-calorie products.’’

Europe’s soft drinks sector has achieved an average market share of over 29% of no and low-calorie products in Europe, with some markets as high as 40-50%.

Over the past 20 years, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe has contributed to building a healthier food system in Europe. UNESDA corporate members have made significant investments in reformulation and new product development to reduce average added sugars in their drinks with the goal of providing consumers with healthier drink choices. The sector has achieved a total of 26% reduction in average added sugars since 2000. It has also become the first and only sector to have committed to the EU call for a 10% added sugars reduction by 2020 and to have significantly exceeded this target by reaching a 14.6% sugar reduction from 2015 to 2019.

While the European soft drink sector is not the largest contributor to total added sugars intake of Europeans³, it is doing its part to promote healthier dietary habits, becoming the only sector to have made a new sugar reduction commitment under the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices.

Note to Editors

¹ For more information, visit the UNESDA page on sugar reduction.

² Find out more about UNESDA and its members’ commitments to the EU Code on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices here.

³ See the EFSA Final Opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for dietary sugars (page 5, February 2022).

For further information, please contact:

Inês Rebelo

Communications Manager, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe

M: +32 477 860 901

irebelo@unesda.eu

Download Press Release in PDF

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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)