In September, Coca-Cola introduced an innovation in soda caps: the caps had to be pushed into the bottle. The company wanted to be at the forefront of an EU requirement that will take effect from 2024, whereby all soft drink bottle caps must be attached to the bottle.
The EU’s goal is to prevent cork stoppers from becoming plastic waste in nature.
This makes both the Infinitum mortgage company and Ringnes react.
– We understand the need in countries that do not have adequate mortgage systems, but in Norway we have extremely good figures and a very successful mortgage system, says Randi Haavik Varberg, director of information and marketing at Infinitum.
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Request a stop
According to the company’s measurements, 99 percent of committed bottles are delivered with the cork attached to the bottle. Ringnes, which produces, among other things, Solo and Pepsi, has not yet started with the new caps.
The EU requirement has also caused frustration among busy drinkers. Pepsi aficionado and FRP politician Bård Hoksrud strongly provoked by EU environmental requirements.
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– This whole thing will be very silly. Can’t the EU rather look to Norway and our commitment and learn from it than come up with silly proposals like this? This is bureaucracy at its worst, concluded the Storting politician earlier this fall.
Due to rising costs for companies, several mortgage companies in Scandinavia, including Infinitum, have asked the EU to remove environmental requirements in Norway and other Scandinavian countries.
– There will be an additional cost to the manufacturers when they need to repair the caps. When our numbers are as good as theirs, we believe such a requirement is unnecessary. There has been some feedback from consumers on what they think about it, but it could also be a matter of getting used to it, says Randi Haavik Varberg on Infinitum.
Per Hynne, director of communications for Coca-Cola, also confirms the discussions.
– But the signals from the EU were clear that this would be done without exception.
The request was rejected by the EU.
Desired workaround
According to communications manager Nicolay Bruusgaard, they understand the EU requirements as a response to a growing challenge with littering, which lacks established filing systems.
– However, our starting point was that we would prefer to settle the claim through the established mortgage system, he writes in a text message to Nettavisen, and explains:
– With current technology, we could introduce half deposit on capless bottles to ensure that even more caps arrive with the bottles in the deposit machine.
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The reason for the skepticism is that the new caps require manufacturers to buy new bottle machines, which not only screw the caps on, but also attach them to the bottle.
– It will require a significant investment, but it’s too early to say anything about the amounts, writes Bruusgaard.
Coca-Cola also won’t give any estimates of how much it cost to switch to attached caps.
– It is a complex cost picture relating to raw materials, new technologies, adaptation of existing production lines, the transition process and, last but not least, communication to explain to consumers why we are doing it, writes Per Hynne, director of communications at Coca-Cola .
