Coca-Cola is one of the biggest companies in the world and is an iconic brand which is sold in over 200 countries. The brand is worth an estimated $74 billion, more than Budweiser, Pepsi, Starbucks and Red Bull combined, with 1.7 billion servings consumed every day. It's safe to say that Coca-Cola means business and has the capacity to make greener packaging for their products.
The PlantBottle
The PlantBottle was recently unveiled at the World Expo in Milan and is the world's first PET plastic bottle made entirely from plant materials. The revolutionary bottle uses patented technology that converts natural sugars found in plants into the ingredients for making PET plastic bottles. The packaging looks functions and recycles like traditional PET.
Showcasing the PlantBottle at the World Expo was Nancy Quan, global research and development officer at Coca-Cola said: "Today is a pioneering milestone within our company's packaging portfolio. Our vision was to maximise gam-changing technology, using responsibly sourced plant based materials to create the globe's first fully recyclable PET plastic bottle made entirely from renewable materials.
She adds: "We are delighted to unveil the first bottles here at World Expo - a world class exhibition where sustainable innovation is celebrated."
The PlantBottle can be used for a variety of packaging sizes and across water, sparkling, juice and tea beverage brands. Since its launch in 2009, Coca-Cola has distributed more than 35 billion bottles in nearly 40 countries using its current version of PlantBottle packaging, which is made from up to 30% plant-based materials.
The Launch
It is estimated that the use of PlantBottle packaging since its launch has helped save the equivalent annual emissions of more than 315,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The World Wildlife Fund said plant-based plastics, if responsibly produced, allows the public to continue to benefit from the value that plastics provide but without the negative environmental effects of using fossil fuels.
Sustainable research and development manager Erin Simon said: "With every technological advance made in the bioplastics industry comes the opportunity to continue to scale the impact of more sustainable production for the materials we depend on today.
"We're working with major companies around the world, including Coca-Cola Company, to consider all the trade-offs involved with plant-based plastics. We all want to make sure that as we shift from fossil fuel based feedstocks to biobased feedstocks for materials we provide for materials, we provide net positive solutions without putting additional strain on precious land and water resources."
If you would like to know more, please feel free to watch the video below:
