We’re supporting legal action against Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Danone for their misleading claims about recycling

What's happened since?

In May 2025, the EU Commission announced that Coca-Cola will change and remove some of its packaging recycling claims in the EU, in light of the complaint.

The global company said it would change some of its labelling practices to remove misleading recycling claims.

Claims on plastic bottle labels such as “I am a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic” will no longer appear. Instead, it will be made clearer that such claims only apply to some parts of the bottle and not, for example, to caps and labels.

Coca-Cola said they will also make sure that product labels and marketing materials don’t mislead consumers about the environmental benefits of the packaging, which includes through the use of green imagery or symbols.

This is a big step in the right direction, as we know that recycling alone can never stem the flow of plastic pollution, and consumers shouldn't be led to believe otherwise. 

Under the coordination of the European Commission, the authorities will also be assessing the practices of other major bottling companies operating in the EU Single Market, including Nestlé and Danone, and where necessary, will require them to abide by similar commitments. We will be watching for further developments.

What was the complaint?

We supported BEUC in raising an ‘external alert’ to the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network against Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Danone for suspected widespread infringement of consumer protection law.

An ‘external alert’ is an important tool that allows designated entities – such as BEUC – to submit complaints to the Consumer Protection Cooperation network and the European Commission, meaning they can submit evidence of business practices they suspect infringe consumer protection law directly to the enforcement authorities.

The external alert submitted here argued that the recycling statements on plastic water bottles, which are often reinforced by ‘green’ imagery and generic environmental catchphrases, may mislead consumers into viewing single-use bottles as a ‘sustainable’ choice, when this simply isn’t the case. The most sustainable way to consume water is using a refillable bottle and drinking tap water.

Why was the complaint lodged?

We’ve likely all seen slogans on plastic water bottles, claiming that the bottle is ‘100% recyclable’ or ‘100% recycled’. However, claims such as these, commonly found on plastic water bottles all over Europe, are either vague, factually incorrect, or not substantiated, and may suggest that bottles can be recycled in an infinite circular loop, which is simply not true.

Evidence shows that there is no such thing as truly circular plastic and that recycling – while less harmful than other methods of waste disposal – cannot solve the worsening crisis of plastic pollution. The process of recycling actually continuously degrades the properties of plastic, making ‘infinite’ recycling impossible. In fact, only 9% of plastic ever made has been recycled, and production of new plastic is now expected to triple by 2060.

These claims about recycling also fail to account for all the parts of a plastic water bottle, such as lids and labels, which are not made from fully – if at all - recycled plastic and are much less likely to be effectively recycled.

The reality is that single-use plastic is neither circular nor sustainable. Recycling can never catch up with the sheer volume of plastic produced on our planet.

Rosa Pritchard, ClientEarth lawyer

Quite simply, we are producing too much plastic, and people and planet are drowning in it. Recycling is not a satisfactory solution, and companies shouldn’t be implying to consumers that plastic bottles are ever a sustainable choice.

Is recycling worthwhile?

Recycling is less harmful than plastic being incinerated or going into landfill. And consumers should still recycle wherever possible.

But, the ‘recyclability’ of a plastic water bottle depends on lots of different external factors, such as local infrastructure when it enters the recycling system. In the EU, the recycling rate for plastic bottles is approximately 50%, with only 30% used to make new bottles. The remainder goes towards products like textiles, which are generally unrecyclable and more likely to end up in landfill, or an incinerator, causing pollution and contributing to climate change.

The combined effect of the claims on these bottles about recyclability risks persuading consumers across Europe that single-use plastic packaging does not harm the environment, while distracting attention from the urgent need to hugely reduce plastic production across the globe.

Recycling alone is not a solution to the plastic pollution crisis. Companies like Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Danone need to reduce plastic production at the source, and stop using claims that could mislead consumers.

What’s the next step with this action?

Coca-Cola’s roll-out of the changes it has committed to will now be monitored by national consumer protection authorities.

Authorities will also assess the practices of other major bottling companies operating in the EU Single Market, and where necessary, will require from them to make the same commitments. 

We will continue to await response from Nestlé and Danone.