From February 1, 2027, Georgia plans to ban the sale of carbonated drinks, soft drinks, alcohol, and fresh water in plastic bottles. Exceptions will apply only to water in bottles larger than 3 liters and carbonated drinks in bottles larger than 20 liters. If enacted, nearly all locally produced and imported beverages currently sold in plastic bottles will disappear from the Georgian market.
According to BM.GE’s research, no other country has implemented a ban of comparable scale. Neither the United States, the European Union, OECD countries, nor other global markets have regulations restricting beverage sales in plastic bottles to this extent. Experts note that Georgia is a major producer of mineral, fresh, and carbonated drinks, and the vast majority of sales rely on plastic packaging, while aluminum and glass bottles account for only a small market share.
The lack of a national recycling system further complicates the issue. Unlike the EU, which has long-established waste separation and recycling standards , including a target for 25% of plastic bottles to be recycled by 2025, Georgia currently lacks an operational system for plastic and aluminum recycling, with glass recycling also at a minimal level. Switching to alternative packaging, such as glass or aluminum, will require significant investment and could substantially raise production costs, especially for larger-volume bottles.
The regulation also marks a softened version of an initially broader proposal, which would have banned plastic packaging for other food products, including dairy and sauces. Even in its current form, however, it remains the strictest plastic beverage regulation in the world, potentially impacting major local producers, including Borjomi Group, in which the government holds a 7.73% stake, as well as their brands like Borjomi, Likani, and Bakuriani.
