The operator of the Petcycle pool system for beverage packaging reports a decline in sales of 11.8 per cent for 2019. On the company's twentieth anniversary, the ongoing individualisation of brand packaging, the exceptional weather conditions of the previous year and the increasing plastic bashing have, according to the company, clouded Petcycle GmbH's balance sheet.
The Circulation system for mineral water and Soft drinks is used in Germany by over 65 beverage manufacturers for around 150 beverage brands. With reusable crates and refillable PET bottles, Petcycle is one of the leading beverage Pioneers for the circular economy and sustainable PET material cycles.
At the same time, last year the Improving the ecological balance of the system further forward. With a consistently high Recycling rate of 99.3 per cent the average proportion of recycled PET in bottles increased by 9.5 per cent to 61 per cent.
Weathering, plastic bashing and individualisation push the approach
In 2019, the industry as a whole experienced a Decline in sales of approx. 5 per cent given. However, there were significant regional differences.
„2019 was also a difficult year for us,“ says Hans Baxmeier, Managing Director of Petcycle GmbH. „We had to deal with three major issues at the same time. Firstly, the 2019 super summer was a sales hurdle that was almost impossible to overcome. Then there was the discussion about plastic and the individualisation of beverage brands with their own, non-pool-compatible beverage packaging.“
Discussion about plastic unsettles consumers, retailers and manufacturers
For the industry as a whole, the current, often Very unobjective discussion about plastic packaging and therefore also about PET bottles is worrying.
„On the one hand, the constantly improving life cycle assessments of PET beverage bottles, particularly in terms of material consumption and CO2 reduction, rarely receive attention,“ says Hans Baxmeier „On the other hand, the „plastic equals rubbish“ formula propagated by the media and politicians is causing increasing uncertainty among consumers.“
For the beverage industry PET a bottle material that is used in closed material cycles is anything but residual waste to be thrown away. The industry and in particular Petcycle are with regard to Recycling rates and utilisation of recycled material Today, we are already much further ahead than politicians are demanding for the future. This is made possible by Germany's exemplary Deposit, return and billing systems.
„When EU commissioners talk about plastic bans or France announces rigorous bans, we ask ourselves why constructive options are not being discussed, such as the establishment of deposit systems like in Germany,“ adds Hans Baxmeier. „Politicians should show much more interest in Closing material cycles in the area of waste management and recycling show. This is actually an effective way of combating climate change, because recycling always means climate protection. This is something that needs to be promoted instead of always discussing regulations or bans.“
How high the proportion of Loss of sales due to plastic bashing Petcycle has not yet been able to determine what this is. But there are clearly recognisable Regional differences. The south of Germany seems to be more affected by the plastics debate than the north and east.
It remains to be seen whether this trend will continue.
„At least we are starting to hear more objective tones in the plastics debate - at least in the media,“ says Baxmeier.
Optimistic outlook for the future
Despite all the headwinds Hans Baxmeier Petcycle is confident about the future: „Our pool system, which has been operating successfully for over 20 years, has an increasingly important development constant in addition to its factual convenience benefits for the consumer and the entire value chain: sustainability. In terms of life cycle assessment, Petcycle packaging is now on a par with returnable glass and our plan to increase the recyclate quota to 75 per cent in 2020 will further strengthen our position. As a community of 65 beverage producers, we need to prioritise this in the coming months in order to give consumers a sense of security again.“
Source: Petcycle GmbH
