The EU boasts greater than 500 smooth drinks manufacturing services – which produce the overwhelming majority of drinks consumed within the EU – with the sector supporting greater than 1.8m jobs all through its worth chain.
The previous legislative time period (2019-2024) has been marked by key legislative tasks: The EU Inexperienced Deal, particularly two of its key constructing blocks – the EU Round Financial system Motion Plan and the EU Farm-to-Fork Technique – that are aimed toward creating long run adjustments to manufacturing and consumption.
Now, UNESDA is setting out its ‘wish-list’ for the legislative time period forward: figuring out an ‘pressing have to construct the mandatory enablers to assist this huge transformation’ from the above laws.
And the trade additionally faces the broader world context of geopolitical tensions, inflationary pressures and provide chain challenges.
“Whereas every legislative time period brings adjustments, challenges and alternatives, this time period will be the time to replicate on what has been achieved and the affect of present measures, to evaluate methodologically what stays to be performed, and to deal with focused actions,” summarizes the manifesto.
The European Parliament – which acts as a co-legislator for the European Union – is made up of straight elected Members of the European Parliament (MEP). Voters will elect their MEPs in June 2024.
Ambition 1: ‘A extra sustainable and aggressive smooth drinks sector’
UNESDA needs to assist a transition to a extra sustainable and more healthy meals system: however highlights this must be a easy transition that doesn’t affect on the competitiveness of companies. To that finish it needs the European Parliament to:
- Set up a streamlined legislative strategy, offering regulatory certainty with workable timescales, making certain new laws is science-based, and enterprise applicable and thorough affect assessments;
- Safe a robust single market on the coronary heart of EU coverage, with uniform implementation of EU meals and environmental laws;
- Promote equity throughout the meals provide chain to make sure everybody performs their half and there’s no discrimination in opposition to any particular meals, drink or ingredient.
Ambition 2: ‘Serving to Europeans to steer more healthy life’
UNESDA champions the voluntary initiatives made and achieved over current years: It has pledged to scale back common sugars in smooth drinks by an extra 10% between 2019 and 2025 within the EU-27/
This may signify a 33% general discount in common added sugars since 2000.
In truth, ‘important investments’ in reformulation and new product growth now signifies that no- and low-calorie variations now signify over 30 % of sentimental drinks gross sales throughout Europe (and over 40% in a number of markets).
Different methods the sector is supporting more healthy life is by selling accountable advertising and promoting practices to kids underneath 13 and implementing stringent college insurance policies.
Trying ahead, UNESDA calls on policymakers to:
- Guarantee up-to-date and dependable pan-European monitoring of foods and drinks consumption intakes and patterns to raised perceive what interventions may be efficient;
- Develop evidence-based insurance policies that don’t discriminate in opposition to elements accredited as protected to be used by well being authorities, and which allow meals innovation;
- Help science-based, harmonised and non-discriminatory labelling insurance policies to assist shoppers make knowledgeable decisions.
Ambition 3: ‘Driving environmental sustainability all through our worth chain’
How can the sector enhance sustainability? Actions throughout the worth chain are working to cut back the carbon footprint, defend water assets, enhance power effectivity and promote packaging circularity.
One energy of the European market, in accordance with UNESDA, is that manufacturing vegetation are additionally usually sited near the markets which they serve, therefore limiting greenhouse fuel emissions linked to power and transport.
With packaging – an space underneath the highlight from the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive – UNESDA highlights targets for the subsequent 5 to 10 years. It needs all packaging to be recyclable by 2025, with a mean minimal of fifty% recycled content material in PET bottles (as much as 100% in 2030 ‘if technically and economically possible’), and 90% assortment of all packaging by 2030.
It’s a sturdy supporter of Deposit Return Schemes: with 16 European international locations now utilizing a scheme (Eire being the newest to introduce a DRS) and extra in place for introduction. In 2021, the typical assortment charge through such schemes was 90%, says the affiliation.
To assist these environmentally centered actions, UNESDA needs to see the European Parliament:
- Guarantee well-designed assortment schemes and a ample provide of food-grade feedstock for recycling to allow closed-loop recycling, when applicable;
- Incentivise investments in carbon emission discount (renewable power, elevated entry to low-carbon power, assortment and recycling infrastructure);
- Put water excessive on the political agenda and encourage investments in infrastructure selling the conservation and restoration of water assets and offering honest and equitable entry to water for residents and companies.
