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All drinks sold with a plastic cap in the European Union will have to, from Wednesday 3 July, be equipped with a system to keep the cap attached to the container, whether it is a bottle or a carton, to prevent them from ending up in nature.
Water, soda, milk, iced tea… Solidarity caps are to become more widespread under a 2019 European Union directive seeking to reduce plastic pollution.
“Plastic caps and lids used for beverage containers are among the single-use plastic items most commonly found on EU beaches.“, is underlined in this directive which had to be transposed into the law of the Member States.
“Therefore, the placing on the market of beverage containers which are single-use plastic products should only be authorised if the design of such containers meets specific requirements which significantly reduce the dispersion of plastic caps and lids from beverage containers into the environment.“, it is added.
This applies not only to plastic bottles but also to “composite packaging” such as milk or juice cartons that contain cardboard, plastic and aluminium. However, it does not apply to glass or metal containers, as well as products “for medical purposes”.
Presenting itself as a “pioneer” in the field, the Cristaline water brand, the most sold in France, started using solidarity caps in 2016.It prevents corks from being released into the environment and facilitates selective sorting for optimal recycling.“, she argues in a press release.
With the 2019 directive, the EU has taken on all single-use plastic products: plates, cutlery, straws and cotton buds made from this oil-based material have been banned from 2021. Existing stocks have been allowed to continue to be sold off.