Coca-Cola partners with industry leaders for rPET competition

GLOBAL – The Coca-Cola Company, in collaboration with Hillenbrand and Net Impact, is orchestrating the second Circular Plastics Case Competition, an initiative designed to inspire emerging business professionals to revolutionize the plastics value chain by conceptualizing solutions that prevent plastics from infiltrating the environment while ensuring their retention within the economy.

This competition urges participants to collaborate and generate groundbreaking ideas to augment the supply of post-consumer recycled material (PCR).

Specifically, this year’s challenge focuses on exploring strategies to amplify the supply of recycled polyethylene (rPET), a facet of the versatile PET material extensively utilized in packaging for food, beverages, cosmetics, and household products.

Concentrating efforts on transforming PET into rPET aligns with the objective of fostering a more circular economy.

It capitalizes on utilizing plastic that has already undergone production and addresses the current hurdles in rPET supply, attributable to inadequate recycling rates failing to keep pace with demand.

Submissions for this competition are slated for March, with the finalists scheduled to virtually present their ideas at a showcase during NPE2024 in May.

The first-place winner stands to receive a noteworthy prize of US$10,000, followed by US$2,500 for the second position and US$1,000 for the third.

Kim Ryan, President and CEO of Hillenbrand, accentuates the importance of enhancing sustainability within the plastics value chain, emphasizing rPET’s appeal due to its potential to substantially reduce the carbon footprint compared to the creation of new plastic.

Ryan underscores the competition’s role in encouraging the next generation to devise creative solutions, fostering a circular plastics economy.

The inception of the Circular Plastics Case Competition occurred in 2022 through the collaborative efforts of Hillenbrand and Net Impact, with the first competition held in spring 2023, aiming to reshape the responsible lifecycle management of plastics.

Hillenbrand and Coca-Cola will guide the competition’s theme and objectives, with Net Impact facilitating the event by leveraging its global network of social impact and sustainability leaders to tackle the challenge.

Karen Johns, CEO of Net Impact, expresses excitement about involving emerging professionals in the dynamic and thrilling conversation surrounding the circular economy for plastics.

This program offers participants an opportunity to grapple with the intricate questions faced by sustainability practitioners today, delving into material circularity, life cycle analysis, and responsible supply chain management.

Kurt Ritter, Vice President and General Manager of Sustainability at Coca-Cola North America, expresses enthusiasm about collaborating once again with Hillenbrand and Net Impact for the second Circular Plastics Case Competition.

He reflects on the inspiring outcomes of the previous event, providing a platform for emerging business professionals to reimagine the plastics value chain and devise forward-thinking solutions to sustain plastic circulation.

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