Coca-Cola has enhanced its commitment to sustainability by announcing transition to 100% recycled plastic (rPET) in the Netherlands and Norway.
The move is part of Coca-Cola’s ambition in Western Europe to enhance the use of 100% rPET and the elimination of new virgin oil-based PET in all of its bottles within the next decade.
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In the Netherlands, the switch to 100% rPET for all plastic bottles will begin from October starting with locally produced small plastic bottles. From next year, large plastic bottles will make the move.
As part of this, the company will eliminate the use of more than 10,000t of new virgin oil-based plastic in the Netherlands.
It will result in the reduction in the carbon footprint of its plastic bottles by 21% per year compared to the rPET level before the transition.
Additionally, Coca-Cola in Norway will switch to 100% rPET for all plastic bottles that it manufactures locally during the first half of 2021.
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By GlobalDataThe move will cut around 4,300t of new virgin oil-based plastic a year and reduce carbon footprint of its plastic bottles per year by 28%. Norway initially used approximately 25% rPET.
Coca-Cola European Partners sustainability vice-president Joe Franses said: “Today’s announcement that Coca-Cola European Partners Netherlands and Coca-Cola European Partners Norway are making the switch to 100% rPET marks a vitally important step forwards on our journey to eliminating new virgin oil-based plastic across all our plastic bottles within a decade.
“Crucially, this announcement provides a compelling case for the role that Deposit Return Schemes can play in the creation of local circular economies for beverage packaging.
“Markets with well-designed DRS such as those in Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway not only have high collection rates but also have the capacity to collect a higher grade of material with less contamination.”
