Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet and Plastic Health Council, said: “It is disappointing to see Capri-Sun pushing to bring back plastic straws and attempting to reverse the progress made by the European Commission. The straw, a symbol of our throwaway culture, should remain consigned to history. Instead of reducing the list, we should be expanding it.
“Promoting recyclability as the ultimate solution is not only misleading but dangerous – it’s being used a convenient loophole to justify the continued production of toxic single-use plastics. The plastic industry’s playbook is well-known. Recycling is neither an economically or technically feasible for managing plastic waste. Now we’re even seeing ‘reusable’ plastic straws being given out in bars which in reality are destined for the bin.
“Legislation has a crucial role here, as it provides businesses with the certainty they need to invest in alternative materials, rather than rely on the placebo of recycling. Only stronger regulations will drive the market towards plastic-free practices and ensure that the progress we are making is not undone.”
In the petition – which had 3,611 signatures at the time of writing – Capri-Sun has said that its goal “is to bring back recyclable plastic straws so that both the pouch and the straw can be recycled together”.
The petition needs one million signatures to be considered by the European Commission.
Earlier this year, Capri-Sun introduced a new pouch made from recyclable mono-material (PP). Currently the pouch and attached paper straw need to be separated for recycling.
The EU’s Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Directive came into force in July 2021 and banned items such as plastic straws, plastic cutlery, plates, cotton bud sticks, drinks stirrers and balloon sticks.
A similar ban came into effect in effect in England in October 2020.
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