Keurig Dr Pepper recently announced its founding sponsorship of The Recycling Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition. The company has committed $10 million over the next five years, alongside investments from industry peers, to increase and improve the recovery and recycling of polypropylene plastic in the U.S.
The recycling coalition will work to solidify polypropylene’s status as a standard curbside recycling material through projects that enhance collection, sortation and processing in recycling facilities which, in turn, will increase the value and supply of recycled polypropylene and reduce the need for virgin plastic used in packaging.
This sponsorship supports KDP’s broader efforts to reduce its plastic footprint through circular solutions and collaborations. The company is on track to meet its commitments of making 100 percent of its packaging recyclable or compostable and incorporating 30 percent post-consumer recycled content in its packaging by 2025.
In 2020, KDP has continued to make progress against these goals, including:
- Expanding the availability of recyclable K-Cup pods in the U.S., remaining on track to transition all pods to recyclable polypropylene by the end of this year
- Increasing use of PCR plastic in Keurig brewers
- Incorporating post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate in beverage bottles, with plans to begin transitioning the company’s water portfolio and Snapple beverages to 100 percent recycled polyethylene terephthalate bottles in the first half of 2021
- Enhancing transparency of its plastic footprint, as part of the World Wildlife Fund’s Re:Source Plastic activation hub.
“Investing in partnerships that amplify our individual actions will enable us to truly drive progress in eliminating packaging waste by improving recycling infrastructure and enhancing consumer education efforts, both of which will increase the recovery of valuable plastics,” said Monique Oxender, chief sustainability officer for KDP.
KDP is a leading beverage company in North America, with annual revenue in excess of $11 billion and nearly 26,000 employees. KDP holds leadership positions in soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea, water, juice and juice drinks and mixers, and markets the No. 1 single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. and Canada.
The company is committed to sourcing, producing and distributing its beverages responsibly through its Drink Well. Do Good. corporate responsibility platform, including efforts around circular packaging, efficient natural resource use and supply chain sustainability. Dr. Pepper is based in Plano, Texas. For more information about KDP, click here.
