The revision aims to help consumers make informed and healthier decisions on agri-food products such as honey, fruit juice, jam, jellies and marmalades.

On 12th December, Parliament adopted its position on the revision of the so-called ‘breakfast’ directives with 522 votes in favour, 13 against and 65 abstentions. The proposal updates rules on the composition, name, labelling and presentation of certain ‘breakfast’ foodstuffs.

Clear labelling of country of origin

MEPs agree that the country where honey has been harvested must appear on the label. They add that for fruit juices, jams, jellies, marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée the country of origin of the fruit used must also be indicated on the front-label. If the honey or fruit used originates in more than one country, MEPs want the countries of origin to be indicated on the label in descending order according to the proportion they make up of the final product.

To limit fraud, MEPs want to set-up a traceability system for the honey supply chain to track product origin. They also want the EU to form a reference laboratory for honey to improve controls and to detect adulteration through systematic testing.

Sugar content labelling

MEPs propose that the label ‘contains only naturally occurring sugars’ should be allowed for fruit juices. To meet the growing demand for low-sugar products, reformulated fruit juices may be labelled ‘reduced-sugar fruit juice’.

New techniques that remove naturally occurring sugars in fruit juices, jams, jellies or milk should not lead to the use of sweeteners to compensate for the effect of sugar reduction on the taste, texture and quality of the final product, MEPs say. They add that labels of the reduced-sugar foodstuff must not contain claims regarding positive properties, such as health benefits.

Next steps

Parliament is now ready to begin talks with EU governments on the final shape of the law.

Background

The revision of EU marketing standards for certain ‘breakfast’ directives was proposed by the European Commission on 21 April 2023 to update current standards that are more than 20 years old.

FEVE – the European Container Glass Federation elected its Presidency team for the 2023-2025 term of office at its Annual General Assembly on Thursday 15th June.

Martin Petersson, CEO Ardagh Glass Packaging – Europe: one of the world’s leading glass packaging manufacturers – has been elected President of the EU container glass federation.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Petersson said: “I am honoured to take up this important role and look forward to contributing to FEVE’s work in collaboration with FEVE members, staff, and the national associations. We have challenging and exciting times ahead of us, but we are in a strong position to reach our sustainability goals and strengthen our industry’s Circular Economy model.

He added: “Glass is a material that has unique inherent sustainability benefits: it is a permanent material, endlessly recycled in a closed loop and it is inert, meaning that it protects the quality of products, it preserves their taste, and guarantees safety for consumers’ health. It is also uniquely versatile in adding value and premium positioning to products. However, all these qualities are often taken for granted in the marketplace. We need to be more proactive in defending and promoting glass.”

Martin Petersson succeeds Vitaliano Torno, O-I Glass President Business Operations & O-I Europe, who led the association for the previous two years. “Vitaliano did a great job in navigating the federation through recent years, marked by the global pandemic and unforeseeable market dynamics, but he also managed to maintain a united industry in shaping a common vision to face the major challenge of climate neutrality”, commented Petersson.

The FEVE members also elected Michel Giannuzzi, Chairman of the Board of Verallia, as Vice-President. Mr Giannuzzi commented: “Our industry is at a crucial crossroad on the path to the future. We should not be afraid to invest in the sustainability assets of our business model to secure our future as packaging leaders. I am looking forward to supporting Martin and the sector over the next two years in the drive to address climate change and the sustainability agenda.”

The climate impact of food is important to Europeans. Three out of five consumers consider climate impact when buying food according to a new survey by Yara.

Yara International announced the findings in a new European survey on sustainable food conducted by leading international market research company IPSOS on behalf of Yara. The report provides an overview of consumer purchasing habits and sustainable food preferences.

“The report shows that Europeans are highly motivated to buy sustainable food to reduce their climate impact. This should be a wake-up call to the entire food industry,” says Birgitte Holter, VP of Green Fertilisers at Yara. “While three out of five Europeans find the climate impact important when buying food, a majority feel it is not easy enough to understand available information about the climate emission to be able to make sustainable choices. More than three out of four consumers would prefer to be able to read the carbon footprint on the food item,” Holter says.

The world’s food production accounts for more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. This new report shows that 58 % of Europeans consider the climate impact important when buying food and beverages. In addition, 51 % of Europeans are willing to pay more for fossil free food items, meaning food produced without fossil sources. However, most people feel that it is not easy to know which food is climate friendly, as 76 % of Europeans would like the carbon footprint to be visible on the food label.

“Decarbonisation of food is possible and that is why we are developing green fertilisers made from water and air using renewable energy, to support farmers and food companies in reducing their climate impact of their food. These voluntary choices must be supported by adequate policies. The EU’s Sustainable Food System initiative, planned for the end of 2023, should therefore create a set of incentives for food systems’ actors to go beyond the minimum requirements and favor low-carbon footprint solutions such as green fertilisers,” says Holter.

In Porsgrunn, Norway, Yara is building the first production plant to run on renewable energy. From here, Yara will produce green fertilisers made without the use of fossil energy or fossil sources. This will result in crops with an up to 30 % lower carbon footprint and up to 20 % carbon footprint reduction in the food produced, making them a powerful solution to grow a decarbonised and fossil free food future. The first green fertilisers are planned to enter production in the second half of 2023.

The market demand for food made without fossil energy sources is high. More than half of Europeans (51 %) said they are willing to pay more for climate friendly food. A clear majority of Europeans (74 %) say food companies need to work to reduce the emissions from their food production.

Key findings in this survey:

• 58 % of Europeans consider the climate impact important when buying food and beverage items
• 69 % of Europeans would choose a climate friendlier food item versus a cheaper option. (26 % would choose a fossil free food item, 43 % would choose a low-carbon item)
• 51 % of Europeans say they are willing to pay more for food made without fossil fuel sources
• 31 % of Europeans already make sustainable choices when it comes to their buying habits
• More than three out of four (76 %) Europeans want to see the carbon footprint of food items on the label
• Nearly three out of four Europeans (74 %) believe food companies should work to reduce emissions in their food production

About the survey
The survey on the need for sustainable food was commissioned by Yara International and conducted by IPSOS. The panel consisted of 12,000 consumer respondents in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Norway, Sweden and Denmark (1,000 respondents in each country). The data was collected from online interviews during the period of December 1 – 14, 2022.

A broad coalition representing European beverage producers, material and technology suppliers, recyclers, NGOs and public entities have called for ambitious action to enable full circularity of beverage packaging¹ in the anticipated draft amendment of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD), due at the end of November 2022.

The coalition believes that the upcoming revision of the EU PPWD is a real opportunity to take the right measures and accelerate the transition to circular beverage packaging.

For this reason, in their position paper², the coalition highlights the importance of setting a 90 % separate collection for recycling target by 2029 for beverage packaging. This is to ensure higher recycling rates and recycled content in packaging, which in turn will significantly reduce the demand for virgin resources in a meaningful way.

Under a 90% target scenario³, the EU would recycle an additional equivalent of 92 billion PET bottles by 2030. This would mean that 2.6 million tonnes less virgin PET would be needed by the bottle industry from 2022 to 2030.

The coalition also considers that it is key to adopt well-designed deposit return systems (DRS) in Member States whose collection performance fails to meet interim milestones needed to attain the 90 % target. To do it effectively, it is essential to develop minimum requirements for any new DRS to maximise their efficiency. DRS has already proven to be an efficient collection system in several European countries by ensuring high collection rates of high-quality material for recycling. This is a fundamental condition to promote closed-loop recycling and deliver circular beverage packaging.

“This proposal, which includes a 90 % separate collection target plus the promotion of well-designed national deposit return systems, is not just about waste reduction and circularity, it is also about stimulating local economies, creating jobs, and increasing Europe’s resilience by securing resources and saving energy,” says Clarissa Morawski, Chief Executive of Reloop.

Reloop’s model calculates that achieving a 90 % collection target would make an additional 170 billion beverage containers available for recycling between 2022 and 2030. The non-alcoholic beverage industry supports this potential significant step forwards:

For Nicholas Hodac, Director General of UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe, this proposal points the way forward for reaching beverage packaging circularity: “This is a real opportunity to achieve closed-loop recycling and, therefore, we look forward to seeing the European Commission accommodating this proposal. Our sector could not be more committed to increasing the collection and recycling rates of our packaging to make it fully circular, but we need supportive measures to do it successfully.”

Patricia Fosselard, Secretary General of Natural Mineral Waters Europe (NMWE), believes that beverage packaging is highly suited to achieve full circularity: “Beverage packaging is highly recyclable, can be reused over and over again in high value applications and already delivers the highest recycling rates. We are calling on the EU to further boost circularity by laying down minimum requirements for well-designed DRS and granting bottlers’ access to a fair quota of their recycled bottles.”

Wouter Lox, Secretary General of the European Fruit Juice Association (AIJN), agrees that it is high time to move circularity forward: “Reducing packaging waste presents a huge opportunity for circularity within the EU, and as such, it is critical to get the PPWD revision right. The European fruit juice industry, therefore, fully supports the ambition of setting a 90 % separate collection for recycling target by 2029 for beverage container packaging.”

The European Commission has a perfect opportunity to drive the transition to a circular economy with a 90 % separate collection target and well-designed DRS for beverage packaging.

¹The coalition agrees that circular beverage packaging is packaging (single use or refillable) that is collected separately at a high rate, refilled or recycled multiple times in a closed loop. When recycled, it should contain a high percentage of recycled material, originating from beverage packaging, thereby contributing to material resource efficiency and waste prevention.
²Coalition Position Paper
³Target 90 Report

European Bioplastics (EUBP), the association representing the interests of the bioplastics industry in Europe, has elected a new Board. The EUBP leadership team will be headed by its new Chairperson, Stefan Barot (BIOTEC) and supported by the new Vice Chairpersons, Lars Börger (Neste) and Mariagiovanna Vetere (NatureWorks). “Never before has our industry received that much of attention. Economically and politically, these are pivotal times, and I’m very pleased to be able to support our industry in my new role as EUBP Chair”, says Stefan Barot.

Crucial EU legislation on bioplastics is expected to be adopted by the end of the year and beyond. This is a great opportunity to fully acknowledge the role of bio-based and compostable plastics within the circular economy. We welcome the European Commission’s initiatives to establish a clear and reliable political environment for bioplastics. This is crucial to ensure a continued successful development of our industry. It also enables bioplastics to contribute to the achievement of the EU’s ambitious climate goals, especially a lower environmental footprint”, he adds.

Afsaneh Nabifar (BASF SE), Peter von den Kerkhoff (Covation Biomaterials LLC), Patrick Zimmermann (FKuR), Franz Kraus (Novamont), Paolo La Scola (TotalEnergies Corbion), and Erwin Lepoudre (Kaneka) are also members of the new Board, with the latter serving as the Treasurer.

“I would like to express my gratitude to all members of the previous board for their great contributions to our association over the past term”, says Barot and adds: “In the name of European Bioplastics I would also like to express special appreciation to my predecessor, François de Bie, who had served the association as Chairperson for almost ten years. Now, important tasks lie ahead of us and I’m very much looking forward to actively approaching them.”

“Transition In Packaging” is the key theme of the FACHPACK trade fair, to be held in Nuremberg from 27 to 29 September 2022. This describes the transformation currently taking place in the European packaging industry. More sustainability, more e-Commerce and increasing digitalisation are just some of the driving themes. Then there are the current challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers, high power costs and disrupted supply chains. “The dynamics in the packaging industry have never been greater,” says Heike Slotta, Executive Director NürnbergMesse. “But despite that, or perhaps because of it, companies in the sector are very strong on design and innovation.” The key theme of “Transition in Packaging” will be reflected at the stands of the 1,145 exhibitors (2021: 789), in the extensive lecture programme, in the fascinating special shows and in the award presentations. Visitors from the consumer and industrial goods sectors will be impressed.

FACHPACK offers a compact yet comprehensive overview of the products and services relating to the packaging process chain for industrial and customer goods – i.e. packaging and the associated technology and processes. This year’s event will extend to nine exhibition halls. Of the 1,145 exhibitors, 42 percent will travel to Nuremberg from outside Germany, the majority from Turkey, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and France.

A good half of the exhibitors are active in packaging materials and packaging accessories, and about one-third in the area of packaging machines and labelling and palletizing systems. About 15 percent work in the area of package printing and finishing, in-house logistics and services for the packaging industry.

European Bioplastics, the association, representing the bioplastics industry in Europe, is pleased to announce the appointment of Maria Neguț as new Head of EU Affairs. She assumed her position on 14 March 2022 and will be based in Brussels.

European Bioplastics (EUBP) and its members are happy to welcome Maria Neguț on board of the EUBP team at this time of crucial importance. With the Green Deal casting its shadow ahead, setting up the path for the European Union’s transition to a real resource-efficient economy, bioplastics are poised to play a significant role.

Prior to joining European Bioplastics, Maria Neguț held several positions at the European Parliament and the European Commission. Most recently, she worked with the European Cocoa Association (ECA) where she served as EU Affairs Director Sustainability for over five years. Besides holding a Master’s degree in Political Sciences and European Affairs from the Université Libre de Bruxelles as well as a post-graduate degree in International Organizations from the European Academy of Diplomacy (EAD), she is also a recognised Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner. Maria was an active member of the EU Commission’s Expert Group/Multi-Stakeholder Platform on Protecting and Restoring the World’s Forests, including the EU Timber Regulation and the FLEGT Regulation. In addition, she was a member of the CEN TC415 – tasked with the development of the first international standard ISO 34101 on sustainable and traceable cocoa. On a regular basis, Maria is contributing to think-thank projects and writing on topics linked to sustainability, energy, and EU policies.

Pro Carton, the European association of carton and cartonboard manufacturers, announced Winfried Muehling as new General Manager – following the recent retirement of Tony Hitchin.

With almost 30-years’ experience working in the global packaging and FMCG industry, Winfried Muehling has held managerial positions in the chemical, food and beverage and capital equipment sectors, demonstrating a passion to bring stakeholders along the value chain together and to deliver consistent commercial and operational excellence.

His previous roles include, Vice President Corporate Accounts at Ecolab, Sales Director for MM Board & Paper, Vice President Sales Management at Tetra Pak, and most recently at Amcor as Global Key Account Director, based in Singapore.

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is set to accelerate the decarbonisation of its business by reducing absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its entire value chain – including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions – by 30 % by 2030 (vs 2019)^* and setting a path to become a Net Zero business by 2040, in alignment with a 1.5˚C pathway and the Paris Climate Agreement.

CCEP will reduce GHG emissions across all five areas of its value chain – ingredients, packaging, operations, transportation and refrigeration. Crucially, there is a significant focus on reducing scope 3 emissions via a commitment to support strategic suppliers to set their own science-based carbon reduction targets and use 100 % renewable electricity.

CCEP’s immediate action plan is supported by a three-year €250m investment which will provide targeted financial support to decarbonise its business. This includes sustainable packaging initiatives, such as the progression of its 100 % rPET roadmap and investing in the scaling of depolymerisation technology, which will help accelerate the delivery of its longer-term net-zero objectives.

The ambition is underpinned by the inclusion of a GHG emissions reduction target in CCEP’s long term management incentive plan (LTIP) – 15 % of the LTIP awarded in 2020 will be based on the extent to which CCEP reduces GHG emissions over the next three years.

It builds on work undertaken over the last decade to reduce GHG emissions across CCEP’s entire value chain by 30.5 % (vs 2010) as part of This is Forward, its joint sustainability plan with Coca-Cola in Western Europe. CCEP’s 2030 GHG reduction commitment has been approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as being in line with a 1.5˚C reduction pathway as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

As part of its journey to Net Zero, CCEP will invest in projects which remove carbon from the atmosphere or verified carbon offset projects. However it will focus on reducing emissions as far as possible and will only offset where essential and where it can’t reduce emissions any further.

^{*This includes a commitment to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 47 % and Scope 3 emissions 29 % by 2030 from a 2019 base year.}

European Cider Trends 2020 is a collaboration between Global Data and the European Cider and FruitWine Association (AICV) in producing a guide that demonstrates the current key markets for cider (which includes perry, fruit flavoured cider and in some countries fruit wine).

Although considerably smaller than the wine, beer, or spirits industries, it is nevertheless a fact that in recent years in some EU countries cider and fruit wines have enjoyed one of the fastest growth rates of all alcoholic beverages, underlining the continuous popularity of fermented fruit drinks down the ages.

The purpose of the document is to increase the awareness of cider to stakeholders (principally lawmakers and those involved with policy formulation) who may not be familiar with cider and all its varieties. …

The 2020 edition of the European Cider Trends brochure is now available for download: www.aicv.org

Coca-Cola European Partners announced the introduction of CanCollar^®, an innovative paperboard packaging solution, for multipack cans in Spain. The move supports its work, in partnership with Coca-Cola, to remove all unnecessary or hard to recycle plastic from its portfolio, avoiding the use of more than 11,000 tonnes of virgin plastic a year across Western Europe.

Initially, Coca-Cola European Partners will launch the new, PEFC certified¹ recyclable and sustainably sourced paperboard CanCollar^® in the Balearic Islands in November 2020, a first in Europe.

Innovative packaging design is a core principle of Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste strategy and through collaboration with WestRock, a global company that provides its customers with sustainable differentiated packaging solutions, Coca-Cola European Partners will start to use the CanCollar^® paperboard can ring technology in the Balearic Islands, replacing the current Hi-cone solution and saving more than 18 tonnes of plastic annually.

Coca-Cola European Partners has invested 2.6 million euros in its Barcelona plant to support this initiative. The installation of WestRock’s CanCollar^® Fortuna^™ manufacturing equipment will enable multipack cans to be grouped in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, with a process that does not require the use of glue or adhesives.

¹PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, is a leading global alliance of national forest certification systems. As an international non-profit, non-governmental organization, PEFC is dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification.

A recent study by Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Netherlands, analysed the fate of compostable packaging products in a full- scale industrial organic waste treatment facility. The results show that the tested EN13432 certified products break down within a maximum of 22 days. The project was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK). “The study shows that the tested objects have the same disintegration and degradation rate as regular biowaste or are even faster. We need more research of this kind, conducted by independent and renowned institutions”, says EUBP Chairman of European Bioplastics (EUBP), François de Bie.

Central aim of the study was to gather more empiric data on the question whether the disintegration rate of compostable products is sufficient to be compatible with the current organic waste treatment practices. In an industrial organic waste treatment trial, a set of nine different compostable plastic products, consisting of organic waste collection bags, plant pots, tea bags, coffee pads, coffee capsules, and fruit labels were tested. “We studied how compostable plastics behave in the current Dutch system for the treatment of GFT (i.e source separated municipal biowaste) and came to the conclusion that compostable products can be processed well with GFT“, says Maarten van der Zee, co-author of the study.

After the first waste treatment cycle of only 11 days, the PLA plant pot already completely disintegrated. “This is significantly faster than paper and most organic matter. Even the orange peel and banana skin (the reference materials) did not completely disintegrate and needed more time” de Bie commented on the study. “The PLA tea bag, which is a typical consumer product, also successfully disintegrated within 22 days.”

The study also analysed the composition of the current visual contamination of conventional plastics in compost, and no compostable plastics were identified amongst the plastics that were found in the compost. “The importance of this result cannot be overstated”, de Bie stresses. “All stakeholders involved in the business of organic recycling, be it waste managers, industry, or legislators, now have the proof that certified compostable plastics actually deliver.”

Read the complete study here: https://bit.ly/2HHAXhn

On 13 November 2019 in Brussels the European Commission launched the new Market Observatory for Citrus fruit. On this occasion the European Commission requested Jose Antonio Garcia Fernandez, Director of Ailimpo and one of the initiators of the World Citrus Organization (WCO), to present the structure, the role and the objectives of this newly created platform for the global citrus category.

The European Commission welcomed this global initiative taken under the lead of Ailimpo, underlying the relevance of such a platform for the citrus sector to exchange information and debate on matters of common concern to enhance the citrus category.

Such a platform is fully aligned with the objectives of the European Market Observatory, which aim to provide market transparency and trends. Therefore, the work of the World Citrus Organization will be beneficial for the deliberation of the European Market Observatory for Citrus. Following their on-going collaboration with other similar international fruit platforms, the European Commission looks forward to having a fruitful cooperation with the new citrus structure once it is fully operational.

Freshfel Europe with its experts and the support of its Brussels based secretariat is eager to contribute to the success of the Market Observatories and the various sub sections such as citrus, peaches and nectarines, apples and pears, and tomatoes.

FEVE – the European Container Glass Federation has elected its executive team for the 2019-2021 term of office at its Annual General Assembly held in Brussels.

Michel Giannuzzi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Verallia Group – one of Europe’s leading glass packaging manufacturers for the food and beverage sector, has been elected as President of the association, succeeding Johan Gorter, CEO of Ardagh Glass Europe. Commenting on his new role, Mr Giannuzzi said: “Our industry has a unique opportunity right now: as packaging is under scrutiny by consumers for its sustainability and healthy credentials. The glass industry is perfectly positioned to respond to customer and regulatory requirements leveraging the benefits of the Circular Economy”.

Today, some 80 billion bottles, jars and flacons are supplied annually to the global food and beverage industry as well as to fragrance, cosmetics and pharma markets. Glass packaging is easily and infinitely recyclable. In the last fifteen years, glass recycling has increased by 139 % throughout Europe. Some 1.5 million bottle banks are available across the region and an average of 74 % of Europe’s glass is collected for recycling, demonstrating the success of the dedicated glass recycling scheme introduced in Europe in the 1970s. These numbers also underline the commitment of the glass industry to attain aggressive recycling rates.

“Mr Giannuzzi added. “As we move towards a more sustainable future, we have a great opportunity to continue innovating glass production. We are determined to further reduce our industry’s environmental footprint, increase quantity and quality of recycled glass, and continue to design new packaging solutions that provide value to our customers and their brands”. He concluded: “In my role as President, building on the excellent job done by my colleague Johan Gorter, I want to convey enthusiasm and energy, and further promote sustainability goals, technology innovation, customer proximity and consumer engagement”.

The industry invests every year at least than €600 million in its 160 manufacturing plants and research facilities across Europe to modernize production, further reduce emissions, increase recycled content and reduce weight of the glass containers⁽¹⁾. Today, glass containers are on average 30 % lighter than 20 years ago, while maintaining and even improving their product qualities, recyclability, and innovative design.

In addition, Vitaliano Torno, President of O-I Europe, has been elected Vice-President of FEVE. He said: “Our customers thrive on glass as the most sustainable packaging solution. Led by the knowledge and ambition of our industry’s employees, we are innovating to help our customers build their precious and renowned brands and become valued partners as well as sustainable producers. I am determined to move the glass industry forward and promote the benefits of glass.”

The industry is also continuously increasing its communication efforts to inform and educate consumers, regulators and other stakeholders about the numerous benefits of glass packaging, and the fundamental role of packaging in protecting end-consumer products. The Friends of Glass platform on www.friendsofglass.com reaches out to millions of consumers around the Globe.

⁽¹⁾ See the E&Y report “Environmental, social and economic contribution of the Container Glass sector in Europe” – February 2015.

Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) succeeded in an interdisciplinary study to demonstrate that soil microorganisms metabolically utilised the carbon in the PBAT polymer both for energy production and also to build up microbial biomass. The researchers used the biodegradable polymer PBAT (Polybutylenadipatterephthalat) labelled with a carbon isotope. This isotope label enabled the scientists to track the polymer-derived carbon along different biodegradation pathways in soil. It showed that the carbon from PBAT was not only converted into carbon dioxide (CO2) as a result of microbial respiration but also incorporated into the biomass of microorganisms colonizing the polymer surface. The researchers are the first to successfully demonstrate where the carbon of a polymer ends up and that a plastic material is effectively biodegrading in soils.“This clarifies that nothings remains after biodegradation besides water, CO2 and biomass,“ says Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics e.V.. “With this study, two concerns that are constantly being raised about biodegradable plastics have been rebutted – the doubt that microorganisms fully metabolize certified biodegradable plastics and the concern that the oil-based part of the polymer will not biodegrade completely.“

The tested PBAT polymer is a fossil-based, biodegradable polymer, which is used amongst others for the production of biodegradable, certified compostable bio-waste bags (according to EN 13432) or biodegradable in soil certified mulch films (according to EN 17033).

“The results of this study will surely enable municipalities and waste managers across EU Member States to acknowledge the benefits and the functionality of certified compostable plastic bio-waste bags for a separate collection of organic waste as well as in an agricultural context the alternative of soil biodegradable mulch films,“ von Pogrell concluded.

GfK has carried out a comprehensive analysis of the European retail scene in 32 European countries. The study examines purchasing power, the retail share of private consumption, inflation and sales area productivity, and also includes a turnover prognosis for 2018.

Please download the complete study for free under: https://bit.ly/2vT3cEi

Coca-Cola European Partners plc (CCEP) announced its interim results for the six months ended 29 June 2018 and maintains full-year 2018 outlook.

Highlights

• First-half diluted earnings per share were € 0.85 on a reported basis or € 1.00 on a comparable basis, including a negligible impact from currency translation.
• First-half reported revenue totalled € 5.4 billion, flat versus prior year, or up 1.0 percent on a comparable and fxneutral basis. Volume decreased 3.5 percent on a comparable basis, partly reflecting the impact of recent strategic portfolio and pricing decisions.
• First-half reported operating profit was € 605 million; comparable operating profit was € 699 million, up 4.5 percent on a comparable basis, or up 5.0 percent on a comparable and fx-neutral basis.
• Second-quarter diluted earnings per share were € 0.60 on a reported basis or € 0.67 on a comparable basis, including a negligible impact from currency translation.
• CCEP affirms full-year guidance for 2018 for comparable and fx-neutral diluted earnings per share growth of between 6 percent and 7 percent when compared to 2017 comparable results.
• CCEP raises full-year guidance for 2018 free cash flow to a range of € 900 million to € 950 million.
• CCEP declares quarterly dividend of € 0.26 per share.

“We are pleased with our execution and performance in the first half as we continued to make bold portfolio and pricing decisions. We are confident that these are the right strategic initiatives for our business in the long-term, while acknowledging the near-term negative impact on volume,” said Damian Gammell, Chief Executive Officer.

“This strategy is reflected in another quarter of solid growth, including strong revenue per unit case gains as we focus on improving our pack and pricing architecture. Overall, we are encouraged by our first-half performance given business disruption in France owing to customer negotiations; unfavourable weather in Iberia; and new industry taxes, notably in Great Britain.

“Given our solid progress in the first half, we have affirmed our 2018 profit outlook. We are committed to implementing our Beverages For Life strategy; investing in our business; better serving our customers; and improving our in-market execution,”

Mr. Gammell said. “Importantly, we are confident that we have the right strategy and the right team in place to deliver strong cash generation and ultimately generate long-term value for our shareholders.”

Please download the full report under: https://bit.ly/2MheRqO