Beverage companies are struggling to meet their sustainable packaging goals, hindered in part by the simple fact that there is not currently enough recycled plastic in circulation to create new bottles.
The move to transition from green plastic is intended to increase the amount of recycled plastic that can be used for food packaging, Coca-Cola said in its press release announcing the new bottles. The company said that green and other colored plastics are often remade into single-use items like clothing and carpeting that cannot be recycled into new PET bottles.
As part of this effort, Coca-Cola Consolidated, the largest U.S. bottler for the beverage company, is working with plastic processing company R3cycle to implement bottle-to-bottle recycling in its 14-state territory.
“Taking colors out of bottles improves the quality of the recycled material,” R3cycle CEO Julian Ochoa said in a statement. “This transition will help increase availability of food-grade rPET. When recycled, clear PET Sprite bottles can be remade into bottles, helping drive a circular economy for plastic.”
The new clear Sprite bottle will also feature a revamped logo, packaging design and “Recycle Me” messaging.
Chris Vallette, senior vice president of technical innovation and stewardship for Coca-Cola, said the beverage giant is working to combat the rPET supply issue by building a pipeline of high-quality plastic. To do so, it is working with partners and communities to increase recycling among consumers, and securing enough rPET to be reused for its bottles, he said.
The two sustainable packaging shifts for Sprite and Dasani will help this effort. “Sprite’s move to clear will help us introduce more 100% rPET bottles like Dasani is launching and keep more bottles in the circular economy,” Vallette said. Coca-Cola aims to make 100% of its packaging recyclable by 2025.
Other beverage companies are also invested in increasing the supply of rPET. Recently, PepsiCo announced it was issuing its second green bond to support its Pep+ sustainability agenda. PepsiCo, one of the largest users of food-grade PET in the world, aims to use 50% recycled plastic in its packaging by 2030. It said the 10-year, $1.25 billion bond will help fund the use of recycled materials, enhance recycling infrastructure and boost recycling rates. PepsiCo had spent about $375 million of its first green bond on plastics and packaging, mainly through purchases of rPET in North America and Europe.
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Topics covered: recycling, landfills, collections, organics diversion, waste-to-energy, and much more.
See the latest compensation data for executives at WM, Republic Services, Waste Connections, GFL Environmental, Clean Harbors, Stericycle, Harsco and Casella Waste Systems in our annual report.
SB 54 is supported by major recyclers, including Republic Services, but it is drawing opposition from key environmental groups. It must pass by the end of this month to stop an upcoming plastics fee ballot initiative.
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Topics covered: recycling, landfills, collections, organics diversion, waste-to-energy, and much more.