Coca-Cola, in partnership with its strategic bottling partner, Coca-Cola HBC, recently announced that all plastic bottles across its soft-drink portfolio in Ireland and Northern Ireland are now made with 100% recycled plastic.
The new 100% recycled plastic bottles, which are also 100% recyclable, will be used across the full range of Coca-Cola products, such as Coca-Cola Original Taste and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, and other beverage brands owned by the company, including Fanta and Sprite.
According to the soft-drink giant, over €20 million has been invested in the last number of years in developing sustainable packaging solutions through enhancement of the state-of-the-art Coca-Cola HBC plant at Knockmore Hill, Lisburn, and in the purchase of recycled plastic material in that period.
The move is part of a series of product changes being implemented by Coca-Cola in advance of the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in early 2024 in the Republic of Ireland.
Push Further
Agnese Filippi, country manager, Coca-Cola Ireland, said, “We are proud to be making the move to 100% recycled plastic across our entire soft-drinks range. Today marks an important milestone on our sustainability journey here in Ireland and Northern Ireland, realising our ambition of a world without waste.
“Reaching this point encourages us to continue to push further with our sustainability goals.
“As the biggest beverage brand on the island, we have a clear responsibility and opportunity to contribute to a circular economy – our actions make a big difference.
“At Coca-Cola Ireland, we will continue to challenge ourselves to reduce our packaging footprint and work with Irish consumers, government, and local authorities to create a true circular economy for our plastic bottles and cans.”
Davide Franzetti, general manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, added, “As the bottling partner for the Coca-Cola Company, we have accelerated the move to sustainable packaging, ensuring that Ireland remains one step ahead of the global targets by incorporating more recycled material in our packaging.
“The shift to using 100% recycled plastic in our bottles will help eliminate 7,100 tonnes of virgin plastic from circulation annually, and in conjunction with the introduction of a deposit return scheme (DRS) in Ireland early next year, will also support our move towards ensuring all of our bottles are used, recovered, recycled and reused, again and again.”
