The Russian environmental Operator (REO) proposed to abandon the "Honest Sign" sticker on the bottle cap and transfer it to the label, or label products using water-soluble glue. The head of the REO Denis Butsaev sent a letter with such a proposal to the president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and entrepreneur Alexander Shokhin. A copy of the document is at the disposal of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
From December 1, 2021, the requirements for mandatory labeling of "Honest Mark" by means of identification of packaged mineral and natural water came into force, and from March 1, 2022 - on mandatory labeling of the rest of the packaged water. This was done in order to rid the Russian market of counterfeit or health-threatening products.
"With the advent of stickers on bottle caps, two new problems have arisen in the waste disposal industry. Firstly, the process has become objectively more complicated for processors, since there is a need for manual separation of stickers with the code "Honest Sign" from the covers - this is an additional stage of processing, which increases the labor intensity, duration and cost of disposal," the letter says.
Secondly, the head of the REO notes, an established opinion is formed in the minds of consumers about the non-recyclability of labeled lids, thereby reducing the motivation to separate them. Thus, the lids fall back into the general waste tank, he noted.
"PPK "REO" appeals to the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs with a request to assist in the development and implementation of a new standard in the practice of manufacturers and retail chains to refuse to place a sticker with a label on the lid and transfer it to the main label. It is important that in the process of ensuring transparency of the Russian market, the interests of participants in other industries, including official operators for the removal and disposal of waste, are taken into account," the letter says.
As Igor Zabralov, Director of Sustainable Development of REO, clarified, the operator does not propose to abandon labeling altogether, but suggests using water-soluble glue or transferring a sticker with a QR code to the main label.
"Then there will be no technological difficulties on modern PET bottle processing lines," Zabralov said.
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