Coca-Cola launches 100% plant-based plastic prototype bottle

Coca-Cola Company, the multinational beverage corporation, has successfully made a bottle made from 100% plant-based plastic (bPET) which it says will be made using technology that is ready to be commercially scaled.

This recent development follows Coca-Cola and UPM's announcement that was made earlier this week on a technological breakthrough for the first commercialization of technology to alter 2nd generation bMEG (biomass to plant-based mono ethylene glycol).

The newly revealed prototype bottle solely uses materials from renewable, plant-based sources, removing all petroleum-based content use.

The company indicates a significant technological step forward in lessening virgin oil-based PET across commercially formed bottles.

Around 900 of the prototype bottles have been made. The firm says that the box is biodegradable and can be recycled bottle-to-bottle within present recycling infrastructures, alongside PET from oil-based sources.    

Ben Jordan, Senior Director for Environmental Policy at The Coca-Cola Company, stated that upgrading this technology is the need of the hour, not just for the firm but for the broader industry.

He further stated that they expect UPM to manufacture their next-generation bio-MEG commercially in 2023 and will be followed by news from Virent closely regarding licensing their technology.

Coca-Cola has declared a target to use three million tones less virgin plastic from oil-based sources by 2025, as part of its goal to become a net-zero carbon business by 2050.

According to reports, this would result in roughly 20% less virgin plastic generated from fossil fuels being produced than it is now globally, depending on company development.

The beverage major claims it would invest in new recycling technologies, enhance packaging such as light weighing, experiment with alternative business models such as refillable, dispensed, and fountain systems, and create new, renewable materials to reach this goal.

Source Credit - https://packagingeurope.com/coca-cola-unveils-prototype-bottle-made-from-plant-based-sources/