15 - 21 June 2000

Government may ask for derogation to keep soft drink plastic ban

by Anthony Manduca

The government is considering asking the European Union, on environmental grounds, to allow Malta to maintain its current ban on the production and sale of soft drinks in plastic bottles, The Malta Business Weekly has learnt. Malta has a huge waste disposal problem and every year millions of plastic mineral water bottles are burnt at the Maghtab dump causing a considerable amount of air pollution. If such a ban was lifted, this would inevitably result in millions more plastic bottles throughout the island and much more air pollution.

Official sources told The Malta Business Weekly that the government had recently met representatives of the soft drink bottling companies in Malta to discuss the issue. At present soft drinks can only be sold in Malta in returnable glass bottles, which is certainly not harmful to the environment. Malta's proposal to maintain this status quo would have to be negotiated when the EU's acquis chapter on the free movement of goods is opened, which will probably not happen under the incoming French presidency. Technically speaking, a ban on soft drinks in plastic bottles goes against the principles of free trade and the government will have to convince the EU that Malta's small size simply cannot take an influx of millions of plastic bottles, with obvious negative consequences for its environment.

The soft drink bottling companies are believed to be in favour of the government's proposals as such a ban would "protect" them against EU competition. Once local protective levies on soft drinks are removed by 2003 in view of Malta's bid to join the EU, the price of an imported soft drink in a plastic bottle (if the ban is lifted) would be cheaper than a locally produced soft drink in a glass bottle. However, it will not be cheaper to import soft drinks in glass bottles than to bottle them locally.

The European Union has strict environmental rules and regulations and sources say that a request by Malta to maintain such a plastic bottle ban may be agreed to if Malta's negotiating team makes a good enough case.

The three leading soft drink producers in Malta are The General Soft Drinks Company, Simonds Farsons Cisk and Portanier Ltd.

Last July the managing director of The General Soft Drinks Company, Brian Mizzi, said during the launch of a new bottle washer that his company was even prepared to convert its mineral water investment from PVC to glass bottles. He also said that his company always abided by the legislation banning the use of plastic bottles for soft drinks "as we believe that this will minimise wastes at Maghtab and decrease pollutants generated through incineration".