The Coca-Cola Company has created a fully recyclable PET plastic bottle that's been made entirely from renewable plant materials.
The new bottle, which went on show at World Expo – Milan, is an improvement on the company's previous PlantBottle creation, launched in 2009, which uses up to 30 per cent plant material.
Using patented technology, PlantBottle packaging is made from natural sugars found in sugarcane and waste from the sugarcane manufacturing process.
“Today is a pioneering milestone within our company’s packaging portfolio,” Nancy Quan, global research and development officer, The Coca-Cola Company, said.
“Our vision was to maximise game-changing technology, using responsibly sourced plant-based materials to create the globe’s first fully recyclable PET plastic bottle made entirely from renewable materials.”
Since the 2009 launch, The Coca-Cola Company says it has distributed more than 35 billion bottles in nearly 40 countries using its current version of PlantBottle packaging.
The company estimates that the use of PlantBottle packaging since launch has helped save the equivalent annual emissions of more than 315,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
According to The Coca-Cola Company, the latest PlantBottle can be used for a variety of packaging sizes and across water, sparkling, juice and tea beverage brands.
