Report – Unbottling greenwashing: Lifting the lid on plastic bottle recycling claims
Misleading claims on bottles of water packaged in single-use plastics claim that they are “100% recyclable” and/or “made of 100% recycled plastic”. ECOS and ClientEarth are supporting The European Consumer Voice (BEUC) in an external alert to the European Commission and the European network of consumer authorities (CPC-Network) reporting several traders using such misleading claims.
Plastic water bottles are one of Europe’s most frequently purchased consumer products, a well-recognised source of plastic pollution and other environmental harm. Yet they remain widely promoted through claims relating to recycling. These claims promote the idea of “plastic bottle circularity” i.e., that plastic bottles are recycled over and over to make new plastic bottles, so neutralising the impacts of plastics on the environment. Such claims are also either vague, factually inaccurate, or otherwise not substantiated.
Unbottling greenwashing: Lifting the lid on plastic bottle recycling claims
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