The Coca-Cola Company introduced a new 13.2oz bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic material (rPET) in the U.S. This new bottle will be available first in the company’s biggest and most iconic brand: Coca-Cola®. In addition, the company announced the transition to bottles made from 100 percent recycled plastic material across a selection of brands in the portfolio, including DASANI® and smartwater®, which will be available in various package sizes this year.
The moves are a substantial step in addressing plastic waste, among the top environmental concerns globally, reducing the company’s use of new plastic by more than 20 percent across the portfolio in North America compared to 2018.
Starting this month in select states in the Northeast, Florida and California, Coca-Cola Trademark (Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Flavors) will roll out the new, 13.2oz bottle made from 100 percent rPET. The new bottle is conveniently sized in a more sippable package and reduces the use of new plastic. This summer, the 13.2oz, 100 percent rPET bottle will roll out across additional sparkling beverage brands nationwide.
As part of a portfolio approach, 20oz bottles made from 100 percent rPET are being introduced across Coca-Cola, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Flavors in California and New York and will continue to roll out in Texas. DASANI and smartwater will follow suit, introducing 20oz bottles made from 100 percent rPET. Finally, people in select markets will see a new 13.2oz clear bottle from Sprite, also made from 100 percent rPET. The clear package makes it easier for bottles to be recycled and remade into new bottles. All Sprite packaging will transition to clear packaging by the end of 2022.
“Given our scale and resources, we realize our unique opportunity and clear responsibility to make a positive difference in the global plastic crisis, bringing us closer to our ambitious World Without Waste goals,” said Alpa Sutaria, vice president and general manager, sustainability, North America operating unit, The Coca-Cola Company. “Plastic is a valuable packaging resource and these innovations in the U.S. represent meaningful action that focus not just on what goes into the bottles, but on innovation of the bottles themselves.”
In 2018, the company pledged robust World Without Waste goals to collect and recycle the equivalent of a bottle or can for every one the company sells by 2030, to make 100 percent of packaging recyclable by 2025 and to use 50 percent recycled material in bottles and cans by 2030. By introducing 100 percent rPET bottles in the U.S., this marks a total of 19 markets globally offering recycled packaging.
Published in the June 2021 Edition