Coca Cola to Develop 100% Recyclable Packaging

Coca Cola to Develop 100% Recyclable Packaging

The Coca-Cola Company has launched ‘World Without Waste’, a platform from which it will promote its ambitious plans to develop packaging that is 100% recyclable and its drive to change global recycling behaviours.

World Without Waste has been launched following an increase in public concern about the devastating impact that the use of single-use plastics has on the environment.

Of course, we need food and drinks packaging, but when plastic is discarded, it ends up on beaches, in oceans, and in the communities in which we live.

Coca cola say they want to help collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can they sell by 2030, because they understand that they have a responsibility to help tackle the problem.

Evian has also added their voice to the campaign, and has pledged to use 100% recycled plastic in all its products by 2025, while the supermarket Iceland has pledged to eliminate plastic packaging from its own brand products within 5 years.

What will Coca Cola do?

The company plan to launch awareness and educational campaigns, and they hope to set a new industry standard for beverage packaging. The campaign will be launched across the world, and the company will share best practices and help to develop more effective recycling methods to make the disposal of sustainable waste accessible for everyone.

For every bottle they sell, they are aiming to collect one and recycle it, to make the most of the materials and save energy and resources. They want to spread the message that resources like plastic, glass, and aluminium should be used more than once.

What’s happening in the UK?

• The company has invested in recycling facilities in the UK, including the Clean Tech Plant based in Lincolnshire, which is the largest plastic recycling facility in Europe. This will help them to achieve their aim to include 50% recycled plastic in all of their UK-produced bottles by 2020.
• They are supporting recycling programmes and infrastructure to aid the recovery of bottles and cans for reuse
• They will be running consumer awareness and education campaigns about recycling
• They will be funding partnerships and projects that keep our rivers and seas clean
• They’ll be working on recycling and plastic waste reduction initiatives with environmental organisations like the WWF.
• They are supporting Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean weekend
• They now support the introduction of a deposit return scheme in the UK

Environmental groups welcome the plan

Coca Cola has been the target of pressure from environmental campaigners like Greenpeace, due to the amount of plastic they produce. The organisation also added that their latest initiative should not only concentrate on recycling, but it should focus on reducing the amount of single-use plastics in circulation. They did welcome the company’s plans to increase the recycled plastic content of it’s bottles to 50% however.

What do Coca Cola say?

The company say that there is a global packaging problem, and everyone has a responsibility to help solve it. They added that big companies must lead the way in finding solutions, and invited other businesses to follow suit.