Coca-Cola Ireland in partnership with its local bottling partner, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC), today announced that all of its 500ml packs and smaller are now being made from 50% recycled plastic (rPET) and its ‘take-home’ packs, all bottles greater than 500ml, have moved to 25% rPET.
The recycled material will be incorporated across Coca-Cola’s full portfolio, including its iconic brands Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite.
“We are proud to be making the move to 50% recycled plastic for our ‘on-the-go’ packs as we look to increase the use of recycled plastics," Petre Șandru, country manager, Coca-Cola Ireland, said.
"We recognise that with our market-leading brands we have a responsibility to help reduce our plastic use and to make it easier for our consumers to recycle.
Sustainable Packaging Drive
The drink giant outlined in a statement that the recent investment in recycled PET combined with other sustainability measures across its packs will result in the elimination of approximately 2,000 tonnes of virgin plastic from circulation in Ireland annually, and supports the ambitions of a circular economy by creating a closed loop for plastic packaging.
Recycled PET bottles are also one of the lowest carbon-dense packaging types to produce within the beverage sector.
“As the bottling partner for The Coca-Cola Company Ireland, we have been at the forefront of the sustainable packaging drive globally and we are ahead of the global targets to integrate more recycled material within our supply chain," said Matthieu Seguin, general manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“The changes announced today mark a significant milestone in our journey to a World Without Waste."
"We are committed to accelerating the move to sustainable packaging in Ireland and through engagement with our national recycling partners such as Repak, we can dramatically reduce the impact of packaging waste on the environment.”
World Without Waste
This is the latest move in Coca-Cola’s global sustainable packaging strategy, World Without Waste, which aims to design more sustainable packaging and to collect and recycle the equivalent of every can or bottle it sells globally by 2030.
To help achieve this both companies have called for the support of consumers in ensuring that they recycle their plastic bottles in the correct way so that they do not become contaminated through the waste process but instead can be reused many times.
These efforts will be supported by a range of initiatives to be undertaken in the comings months as part of the World Without Waste strategy aimed at encouraging positive recycling habits amongst consumers in Ireland.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
