The brewers climbed to the Bank
The largest multinational companies operating on the Russian brewing market, has actually accused the President of UC Rusal Oleg Deripaska in lobbying for the ban on the use of PET packaging (plastic bottles) for beer. The Union of Russian brewers (SRP), expressing the interests of the “big four” of the Russian market of beer — “Baltic” (belongs to the Danish Carlsberg), “United Breweries Heineken” (Heineken Dutch), “sun InBev” (American-Belgian AB InBev) and “Efes Rus” (Russian subsidiary of Turkish Anadolu Efes) on Wednesday, April 13, in the advertisements published in the newspaper “Kommersant” an open letter to the businessman.
In the appeal of the brewers for the first time openly declared that a massive campaign to ban PET packaging for beer in Russia is Oleg Deripaska, whose company Rusal produces raw materials for other popular types of packaging — aluminium cans. “On 30 March, the government held the meeting “On development of production of high processing in ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy” you openly initiated such a ban as a measure that will contribute to the development of the aluminum industry, — the authors of the letter. You may seem, that the ban of plastic will switch consumption of beer in aluminum cans, but it’s not”.
In the company Rusal declined to comment on the letter of the Union of Russian brewers, noting that it was addressed personally by Oleg Deripaska. The representative of the businessman handed over a written reply, in which he stressed that Europe’s brewers are thriving, not using plastic containers, and that Russia should follow this path: “When we talk about the level of life, we, including implied standards and principles which are shared worldwide, which characterize the quality of human life in a civilized society. In this sense Russia cannot be an exception, and the policy of double standards does not work here”, — stated in the answer of the representative of the businessman.
What bottled beer in Russia
In 2015 in Russia it has been made 782 million dal of beer (-5,1% by 2014). According to the PSA, up to 45% of beer is packaged in PET bottles. On glass bottles and aluminum cans account for another 25%. The remaining 5% are keg — barrels for filling in the bars and shops of draft beer.
Lobbying war
A bill to ban the use of PET containers was introduced in the state Duma United Russia deputies Mikhail Tarasenko and Raisa Karmazina in the spring of 2013. The authors proposed to prohibit the sale of beer in plastic bottles larger than 0.5 l. In the explanatory note authors of the bill noted that beer consumption in the country has become “a threatening volume,” low cost plastic package improves the availability of the drink for the population, and its large volume makes you drink more. The Duma passed the bill in the first reading in June 2014. Since then, the bill has not been explored.
The reason for the open letter brewers Deripaska became the Prime Minister following the meeting in Perm, said a top Manager of one of the largest Russian brewing companies. On last March 30, in the Perm region government meeting devoted to the problems of non-ferrous metallurgy, Oleg Deripaska has said that no decision on the issue PAT is a brake on the development of the aluminium industry. “Import substitution, aluminum components, transportation engineering, development of agricultural processing, packaging — here I would also like certainty in the use of PET, said Deripaska. — This question is rather simple. There are two tax modes: aluminium and PET packaging, I would like them to equalize. The question is considered in its fifth year, just need to make a decision — no matter what year, we finished with 2017, 2018”.
In the minutes following the meeting, Medvedev instructed the group of ministries and agencies — the Federal alcohol market regulatory service, Ministry of economic development, the Ministry of industry and trade, the Ministry of health, Rospotrebnadzor, the Federal Antimonopoly service, the Ministry of energy together with profile Committee of the State Duma “to consider adopting during the spring session 2016 of the draft law on the gradual reduction of production and turnover of alcoholic products in the consumer packaging (packing) made of polymeric materials.” The Commission stated that its performance should be reported before June 1, 2016, “taking into account the position of the government”, which was stated in the review the bill.
Published 14 April 2015 a review on the bill limiting retail sale of alcoholic beverages in plastic bottles contains a recommendation to ban the production of beer in plastic bottles larger than 1.5 l from 1 July 2016 with a further ban on the production of beer in plastic bottles larger than 0.5 l.
