Coca-Cola will sell several of its brands in bottles made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) in a move that will replace 9,000 tonnes of virgin plastic a year across Western Europe.
Working in partnership with Coca-Cola European Partners, the company said that it will transition its Honest, GLACÉAU Smartwater and Chaudfontaine brands into rPET bottles between the end of 2019 and 2020.
The move supports its commitment that by 2025 at least half of the plastic used in its PET bottles across Western Europe will come from recycled sources.
This year, Coca-Cola said it will use approximately 60,000 tonnes of recycled plastic in these markets, removing the equivalent amount of virgin plastic.
“From 2020, wherever you buy these brands in our Western European markets, you will find them in a bottle that is entirely made from recycled plastic,” said Bruno van Gompel, Technical and Supply Chain Director for Coca-Cola Western Europe.
“This is a clear signal of our ambition – we aim to meet and exceed our target of using 50% rPET across our total portfolio by 2025.”
He added: “Both Honest and GLACÉAU Smartwater have a huge following in the US, whilst being relatively young brands in Europe.
We have ambitious growth plans for both of these brands, as we continue to broaden our portfolio to offer people different drinks to meet changing tastes and lifestyles – and we want to grow them sustainably.”
Coca-Cola is also transitioning Sprite from a green PET bottle to a clear PET pack, which can more easily be recycled bottle to bottle.
