PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2018

PET news 6 NEWS PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 10/18 www.petpla.net PepsiCo to more than triple rPETcontent to 50% in the EU by 2030 PepsiCo announced its goal to achieve 50% recycled plastic (rPET) in its bottles by 2030 across the European Union, with an interim target of 45% by 2025. Through this target, the company will more than triple the amount of recycled plastic it uses, equating to over 50,000 t of rPET. The announcement comes in support of the European Com- mission’s voluntary recycled plastics pledging campaign to ensure that by 2025, ten million tonnes of recycled plastics are used to make new products in the EU market. PepsiCo’s goal covers all countries expected to be members of the EU in 2025 (with the UK covered through a signature on the UK Plastics Pact), and all the company’s beverage brands in PET including Pepsi, Pepsi MAX, 7Up, Tropicana and Naked. PepsiCo is already a significant user of food grade rPET in the EU, using approximately 13% rPET in its EU beverage operations in 2017. Silviu Popovici, President ofPepsiCo Europe & Sub-Saha- ran Africa commented: “Developing an effective, long-term approach to sustainable packaging requires a multifaceted effort, and PepsiCo is committed to collaborating with the many stakeholders involved to ensure it succeeds in devel- oping a Circular Economy for plastics into the future. With serious under-capacity in the supply of affordable recycled plastics suitable for food packaging, we call on public and private stakeholders in the recycling system, including the European Commission, to join us and make the needed investments to expand recycling capacity. Provided the right progress is made on increasing packaging recovery rates, and improving reprocessing technology, we will look to go even further than our current commitment.” A critical part of increasing the availability of recycled plastics, suitable for re-use in packaging, is ensuring that bottles are placed in the recycling system, rather than litter- ing the environment. In addition to participating in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes across the EU, PepsiCo is partnering on programmes to increase recovery and recycling rates. www.pepsico.com Evian to host 15 th Global Bottled Water Congress The 15 th Global Bottled Water Congress will be held from October 22-24 at the Evian brand in France. Highlights will include a focus on sustainability, hydration, innovation, mar- keting and water stewardship, capped by the 2018 Global Bottled Water Awards at a Gala Industry Dinner. Participants of the congress will feature Chief Executives and Directors from many national market leaders as well as a majority of the top global producers. Speakers already confirmed include Danone, Gerolsteiner, Nestlé and PepsiCo as well as Bisleri from India, Niagara from the United States and the Alliance for Water Steward- ship. A keynote address on sustainability will be given by Maurizio Patarnello, Chief Executive of world market leader Nestlé Waters. The Congress already has strong supplier sponsorship support with Ardagh Group as platinum sponsor, Bericap, Sidel and Tetra Pak as gold sponsors, and ICE Water Engi- neering as a silver sponsor. The programme includes an opportunity to visit both the Evian water factory and ICE Water Engineering. “Everyone wants a healthier society and a healthier planet,” commented Richard Hall, Chairman of Zenith, who are organising the event, as well as providing global food and drink consulting expertise. “Bottled water has a growing role to play in sustainable hydration and this Congress is designed to help the industry meet that challenge more effectively.” www.zenithglobal.com/events