Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages adopts WestRock’s paperboard multipack to phase out plastic rings

USA – Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, a prominent Coca-Cola bottler, has partnered with WestRock to introduce a paperboard carrier designed to replace plastic rings in multipack bottled beverages.

The collaboration will see WestRock’s PETCollar™ Shield Plus paper-based packaging at Liberty’s Philadelphia production facility to package Coca-Cola’s leading brands in multipacks.

The durable and easy-to-handle paperboard carriers will be used for 12-ounce (355 milliliters) and 16.9-ounce (500 milliliters) products.

These packaged products will be distributed across Liberty’s multi-state territory. Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages will be the first bottler globally to adopt the PETCollar Shield Plus bottle clip solution.

Fran McGorry, co-owner of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, emphasized the company’s commitment to sustainable practices.

“We’ve made it our mission to invest in technology that produces recyclable beverage containers that can return to our system while significantly reducing the need for secondary plastic packaging,” he stated.

“We know the most valuable change to reduce plastic waste occurs when bottlers and packaging producers work together. We are proud to partner with WestRock to make this change.”

The new paperboard carrier packaging system will be operational by the summer of 2024. Once installed, this system will complement the existing paperboard packaging for mini-cans, implemented in 2022.

These packaging systems are expected to eliminate 200,000 pounds of plastic annually from Liberty’s environmental footprint.

PETCollar Shield Plus is part of WestRock’s PETCollar™ product family, which offers a range of multipack clip solutions in various sizes, designs, and configurations for bundled bottles.

“Our partners at Liberty Coca-Cola continue to push the boundaries by promoting secondary packaging alternatives to plastic throughout their operations while meeting the diverse needs of their consumer base,” said Sam Shoemaker, president of Consumer Packaging at WestRock.

“We share their commitment to innovation and look forward to supporting their ambitious sustainability goals.”

Committing to the PETCollar Shield Plus packaging represents the latest step in Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages’ ongoing sustainability initiatives.

The bottler has previously led the way in the U.S. by being the first to replace plastic rings with paperboard for mini-cans and was among the early adopters of bottles made from 100% recycled plastic (excluding caps and labels).

Moreover, they have installed a sustainable compactor that significantly reduces the carbon footprint by processing large volumes of full plastic and aluminum containers for recycling.

“We are passionate about investing in the communities we serve,” said Paul Mulligan, co-owner of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages.

“We truly care about the environment and will continue to invest in systems that raise the bar for the entire industry. We want to lead by example and do the right thing.”

Similarly, last year, Coca-Cola HBC in Austria switched to Mondi’s Hug-IT, a more sustainable sleeve packaging for its products.

Hug-IT sleeves, made from Mondi’s 100% kraft paper Advantage SpringPack Plus, were introduced to replace the plastic shrink wrap around 1.5l PET multipacks of Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, and Mezzo Mix brands.

This new paper packaging boasts high tensile strength and stretchability, ensuring secure bottle bundles during transportation.

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