Coca-Cola Great Britain, in partnership with bottler Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), has announced that it is set to reach a significant milestone by using 100% recycled plastic in all on-the-go bottles across its entire range as part of the soft drinks group’s drive towards fully sustainable packaging.
The move means that all the company’s plastic bottles of 500ml or less in Britain will be made with recycled plastic and will continue to be fully recyclable. The rollout commences in September when the first 100% recycled 500ml bottles will start appearing on shelves. The move means Coca-Cola Great Britain will increase the amount of recycled plastic material in smaller bottles from 50% to 100%, slashing its use of virgin plastic.
The change marks another step on Coca-Cola’s journey towards 100% recycled or renewable plastic in all its bottles and the creation of a circular economy for its PET packaging. The company is also completing the transition from plastic shrink wrap to cardboard packaging across all multipacks. This action will mean that more than 30 million packs sold to consumers each year will no longer be wrapped in plastic.
To make it easier to recycle plastic bottles, Coca-Cola has also been working closely with the Scottish and Westminster governments and industry players to develop a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
Stephen Moorhouse, General Manager at CCEP GB, said: “Increasing the amount of recycled plastic we use is a critical point in our sustainable packaging journey and reaching 100% rPET puts us one step closer to achieving our ambition of a world without waste – collecting and recycling a bottle or can for every one that we sell by 2025.”
Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, added: “I am delighted to see Coca-Cola Great Britain taking this significant step to ensure its on-the-go bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic.
“We are committed to crack down on plastic pollution through our landmark reforms such as a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and making manufacturers more responsible for their packaging. Bold measures of this nature from industry will play a huge role in helping us to achieve this ambition.”
