Coca-Cola Ireland, in partnership with its local bottling partner, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC), has announced that all of its 500ml and smaller packs are now being made from 50% recycled plastic (rPET), and its "take-home" packs, which include all bottles larger than 500ml, have moved to 25% rPET.
The recycled material will be incorporated across Coca-Cola's full portfolio, which includes Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite.
According to Coca-Cola, the 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.
This is the latest move in Coca-Cola's global sustainable packaging strategy, "World Without Waste", the aim of which is to design more sustainable packaging, and to collect and recycle the equivalent of every can or bottle that the company sells globally by 2030.
"Proud"
Coca-Cola Ireland country manager Petre Șandru commented, "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. 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.
"We are on a journey to achieve this. Efforts are ongoing to increase the use of recycled plastic in our packs, and we will continue to work with government and local authorities to identify further ways we can help consumers to recycle."
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
