When the Swedish retail monopoly organisation, Systembolaget, proposed - in 2015 - that bottles above a particular weight would face a new tax, spirits producers were greatly concerned. It seemed that the huge environmental efforts that we had made across a wide range of areas (water usage, waste recovery, lighter packaging, use of recycled materials, investment in renewable energy etc.) were being ignored by the Swedish retailer and that it was unduly emphasising just one area. We and other alcoholic beverage organisations registered concerns regarding the proposal, both in Stockholm and Brussels. The monopoly, having delayed the scheme once, has now announced a further postponement - very welcome news.
There are a number of concerns with the proposal, in addition to the immediate concern that the emphasis on bottle weight is very limited. One aspect is that the proposed measure would introduce discrimination and trade barriers within the single market. Another is that the measure is unlikely to be effective, not least because there are physical limits to how much bottle weights can be reduced (they have already fallen significantly over the last 20 years). We have therefore suggested to both Systembolaget and the European Commission that the measure should formally be notified through TRIS so that its impact can be assessed more thoroughly.
