Coca-Cola Amatil “to double” recycled plastic content in bottles

Coca-Cola Amatil has pledged to drastically increase its use of recycled plastic, promising that 70% of the plastic bottles manufactured in Australia will be made entirely from recycled plastic by the end of 2019.

The company claims that this will double recycled plastic content across its entire beverage range. The commitment includes all small packages 600ml and under, including brands like Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Mount Franklin, as well as 750ml bottles for its Pump brand.

Figures provided by the company estimate that the increase in
the use of recycled plastic would reduce the amount of new plastic resin the company uses by an estimated 10,000 tonnes each year from 2020.

This latest commitment forms part of the company’s 2025 sustainability goals, which also saw the company ditch the use of plastic straws and stirrers in Australia earlier this year, as the company aims to meet Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets on recyclable and
recycled materials.

Vamsi Mohan Thati, president of Coca-Cola Australia said: “As Australia’s biggest beverage company, we have a responsibility to help solve the plastic waste crisis.

“That is why we will make 70 per cent of our plastic bottles entirely from recycled plastic by the end of 2019.

“This is a big commitment to recycled plastic – the largest of its kind by a beverage company in Australia – and will significantly reduce the impact of our business on the environment.

“‘Coca-Cola’s goal is to keep plastic packaging out of our oceans and landfills and instead be used over and over again.”

Peter West, managing director of Australian Beverages at Coca-Cola Amatil, added: “We’ve heard the community message loud and clear – that unnecessary packaging is unacceptable and we need to do our part to reduce it nationwide.

“That’s why we’ve taken this step to make recycled plastic the norm in more than two-thirds of our Australian beverage product range.

“It’s the single largest increase in recycled plastic use in our history, and our strongest step forward in reducing packaging waste and the environmental impact of our operations.”