Coca‑Cola moves to 50% recycled plastic in its ‘on-the-go’ packs

Press Eye - Coca Cola - Lisburn - 8th August 2019
Photograph by Declan Roughan Press Eye - Coca Cola - Lisburn - 8th August 2019
Photograph by Declan Roughan

Coca‑Cola moves to 50% recycled plastic in its ‘on-the-go’ packs

Coca-Cola moves to 50% recycled pet in its on-the-go packs

INVESTMENT IN RPET WILL ELIMINATE 2,000 TONNES OF VIRGIN PLASTIC FROM CIRCULATION ANNUALLY

As part of our journey towards a World Without Waste, in partnership with Coca‑Cola Ireland, today we announced that all of our 500ml packs and smaller are now being made from 50% recycled plastic (rPET) and our ‘take-home’ packs, all bottles greater than 500ml, have moved to 25% rPET.

The recycled material will be incorporated across our full portfolio, including our iconic brands Coca‑Cola, Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite.

The investment in recycled PET combined with other sustainability measures across our packs will result in the elimination of approximately 2,000 tonnes of virgin plastic from circulation in Ireland annually, and supports the ambitions of a circular economy by creating a closed loop for plastic packaging. Recycled PET bottles are also one of the lowest carbon-dense packaging types to produce within the beverage sector.

This is the latest move in our global sustainable packaging strategy, World Without Waste, which aims to design more sustainable packaging and to collect and recycle the equivalent of every can or bottle we sell globally by 2030.

2,000

tonnes of virgin plastic will be eliminated in Ireland annually

Additional actions we have taken in recent years to improve the sustainability of its packaging and to encourage consumers to recycle its packs include;

  • All Coca‑Cola plastic bottles and cans are already 100% recyclable
  • Recycling messages on the lids of all Coca‑Cola packs to encourage greater recycling
  • Recycling messages integrated across all Coca‑Cola TV commercials
  • The iconic green Sprite bottle replaced with clearer plastic pack, making it even more recyclable

Together with Coca‑Cola Ireland we will explore opportunities to increase the amount of recycled plastic used over the coming years, which will be determined by the availability of food-grade quality recycled plastic in the market.

To help achieve this we have called for the support of consumers in ensuring that they recycle their plastic bottles in the correct way so that they do not become contaminated through the waste process but instead can be reused many times.

These efforts will be supported by a range of initiatives to be undertaken in the comings months as part of the World Without Waste strategy aimed at encouraging positive recycling habits amongst consumers in Ireland.

 

Petre Sandru

We are proud to be making the move to 50% recycled plastic for our ‘on-the-go’ packs as we look to increase the use of recycled plastics. We recognise that with our market-leading brands we have a responsibility to help reduce our plastic use and to make it easier for our consumers to recycle.

We are on a journey to achieve this. Efforts are ongoing to increase the use of recycled plastic in our packs and we will continue to work with government and local authorities to identify further ways we can help consumer to recycle.

Petre Sandru Country Manager, Coca-Cola Ireland

miles-headshot

As the bottling partner for The Coca‑Cola Company Ireland, we have been at the forefront of the sustainable packaging drive globally and we are ahead of the global targets to integrate more recycled material within our supply chain.

The changes announced today mark a significant milestone in our journey to a World Without Waste. We are committed to accelerating the move to sustainable packaging in Ireland and through engagement with our national recycling partners such as Repak, we can dramatically reduce the impact of packaging waste on the environment.

Miles Karamacher General Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland