The Coca-Cola Co., headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has introduced a new 13.2-oz. bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic material. 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, and 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 all-new bottle. The new bottle is sized in a more “sippable” package and reduces the use of new plastic. The rPET bottle will roll out across additional sparkling beverage brands nationwide this summer.
As part of a portfolio approach, 20-oz. bottles made from 100 percent rPET are being introduced across Coca-Cola, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Flavors beginning this month in California and New York and will continue to roll out this spring in Texas. Dasani and Smartwater will follow suit, introducing 20-oz. bottles made from 100 percent rPET in March and July, respectively.
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, VP and general manager of sustainability for the North America Operating Unit of The Coca-Cola Co. “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. Using internal company tools and analyses, it is estimated that in the U.S., these innovations represent a 10,000 metric tons reduction in GHG emissions annually – the equivalent of taking 2,120 cars off the road for one year.
Amidst this rollout, The Coca-Cola Co. aims to inspire everyone to join in reducing waste, with the largest on-package messaging effort by the company to-date. Each 100 percent rPET package will feature on cap messaging, as well as a “Recycle Me Again” message on the label to encourage people to take action and recycle their bottles so that they can be remade into new ones, supporting closed-loop recycling systems and circular economies.
