Why have we changed the caps on our Oat Drinks?

If you know anything about Oatly, you know that we make pretty oat-mazing oat-based products because we know that eating a plant-based diet can help lower your climate impact*. But, we don’t stop at what’s inside the carton as our packaging is just as important to take into consideration. That’s why we’re excited to see a new EU directive supporting the reduction of plastic waste and we want to share what that means for all of you using our products across the EU, UK, and Ireland. 

 

EU Directive, 2024: Tethered Caps

Due to the negative environmental impact of single-use plastic caps, the EU Commission is changing the strategy for single-use plastics, shifting towards establishing a circular economy where the design and production of plastics fully respects re-use, repair, and recycling needs. It calls for more sustainable materials to be used and adapted accordingly across the EU, which will result in reducing the negative effects of single-use plastic solutions. 

 

Why have you changed the caps?

The reason we have changed our caps is because of new EU regulations. Due to the negative environmental impact of single-use plastic caps, which sometimes get separated from the pack and end up in nature, the new EU regulation states that the cap has to be tethered to the pack. Plus, we think that moving from single-use plastics towards a more economically sustainable and environmentally conscious solution (re-useable materials), is a double-win.

 

What do the new caps look like?

You’ll find our new ‘click style’ caps on our ambient (long-life/shelf-stable) products and they’re already in circulation in some markets. There will be noticeable differences to the cap you may be used to. The new click cap is mounted to the carton, meaning that you can’t remove it from the carton. Nor will it have the inner ring pull you normally find when unscrewing the outer cap as this part is attached to the main cap, which means you can get stuck into your carton of Oatly quicker than ever before!

 

How do I separate the plastic for recycling? 

The plastic lids do not separate from the carton so we advise you to check your local recycling rules for advice that's specific to where you live.

 

I’ve noticed the cap leaking; do you know anything about this?

It might be difficult to close the cap which could lead to leakage, or the cap being incorrectly closed. We want to stress that our packaging and production teams are already doing everything in their power to have this corrected and we’re committed to keeping true to our word and giving you the best experience whilst using our products. 

Until this issue is resolved we’d encourage you to check that the cap is correctly closed before shaking your beloved oat drink and oatgurts. A hot tip is to listen out for a click when closing the cap as this indicates it’s properly sealed. We’d still recommend placing a finger on top of the cap when shaking the product and shaking side to side rather than up and down can also help eliminate leaks. 

 

 

References

 

*World Resources Institute (WRI) (2019). Creating a Sustainable Food Future. A Menu of Solutions to Feed Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050. How to Sustainably Feed 10 Billion People by 2050, in 21 Charts | World Resources Institute (http://spkl.io/612184WHX8)

*Actions to Transform Food Systems Under Climate Change by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) Actions to Transform Food Systems Under Climate Change.pdf (http://spkl.io/612194WHXD)

Read the EU Directive: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/904/oj