Coca-Cola transitions to 100% recycled bottles in Canada

CANADA – The Coca-Cola Company has successfully transitioned all 500ml bottles within its sparkling beverage portfolio to 100% recycled plastic.

This milestone initiative, announced last October, marks a significant shift towards sustainability, although it excludes the bottle caps and labels.

These new recycled plastic bottles, now entirely produced from recycled materials, are manufactured by Coke Canada Bottling at its facilities in Brampton, Calgary, Lachine, and Richmond.

The transition is projected to save 7.6 million pounds of new plastic in 2024 and reduce annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by nearly 7,000 tonnes.

Kurt Ritter, Coca-Cola North America’s Sustainability Vice-President and General Manager, emphasized the broader impact of this initiative: “We hope that transitioning our 500ml sparkling portfolio to 100% recycled plastic will increase the amount of high-quality, food-grade, recycled plastic available in Canada and, ultimately, enable us to offer more of our brands in this sustainable format.”

This move aligns with The Coca-Cola Company’s global World Without Waste goals, committing to using at least 50% recycled content in its packaging by 2030 and reducing virgin plastic usage.

Transitioning to recycled plastic involves meticulously ensuring the new packaging meets stringent health, safety, and consumer standards.

It requires securing sufficient quantities of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and coordinating with bottling plants to adapt production lines. According to the company, overcoming logistical challenges demands collaboration across stakeholders.

Mika Unterman, Coca-Cola Canada’s Director for Sustainability Capabilities and Planning emphasized the collaborative effort: “By announcing our move to recycled bottles, we are signaling to the recycling industry at large how serious we are. These are problems that require collaboration; no one can do this in isolation.”

In a separate initiative, Coca-Cola initiated a trial of label-less packaging for its Sprite brand in the UK earlier this year to simplify recycling and reduce packaging material use.

The pilot involves removing labels from 500ml recycled PET bottles of Sprite and Sprite Zero, replacing them with embossed logos and laser-engraved product information.

This trial, running from this month through March 2024, is being tested in eight Tesco Express stores across Brighton and Hove, Bristol, London, and Manchester, aiming to streamline recycling processes by eliminating label separation and reducing overall packaging material.

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