How the plastic bottle cap became a parable for the value of EU regulation | Alberto Alemanno
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/27/how-the-plastic-bottle-cap-became-a-parable-for-the-value-of-eu-regulationOpen linkView original on lemmy.zip
Most if not all regulations have a good reason behind them. Look at the charging ports for phones and laptops for example.
Or just look at the USA. Their rivers were literally burning some decades ago. Sure the companies could make more money by polluting everything, but companies shouldn't be the main focus of a country or a union.
I'd rather have too many regulations than none.
USA and Germany disagree.
Colour me surprised.
Why are you surprised? Companies do only what is legally mandated in the area they operate.
They don’t give a shit about anything except laws they are forced to comply with. Everything else is to make profits for shareholders.
All the corporate greenwashing is just a publicity stunt.
'twas sarcasm
As an avid weekend hiker that often brings a bag with me for picking garbage that people leave in nature I am very happy about the new regulation. Nowadays most bottles come with the cap attached which otherwise would be easily missed.
Mad respect to you, unfathomable to me that people would litter in nature.
It's so much better to have this as an EU regulation instead of each country creating their own. Imagine 3 or for different standards about how that would need to be. At least we have only one standard, that's the beauty of EU
I really hated the attached caps at the beginning but companies eventually figured out how to make them pretty well. Now they're not too bad to use
Same with paper straws. Someone will always make it better and more convenient than what came before.
I just rip them of each and every time. It's has become a reflex by now.
It's one of those examples that makes you think that many of the people around you are just giant toddlers in adult bodies. It's a minor thing. You can easily drink out of a bottle with them. You can rip them off. It totally makes sense to have this regulation. People are crying like little babies about it.
I want standardized power sockets and plugs in Europe.