Maybe you remember when 2-liter soft drink bottles had a separate cap-like, black bottom. As more people became aware of the need to recycle and to use our resources more wisely, the soda industry decided that the separate plastic bottom was a waste of packaging. It really only served the purpose of making the bottle look more "finished" and didn't affect the quality of the product in any way or how it stood on grocery store shelves. Today, The Coca-Cola Company has taken this environmental awareness a step further with an innovatively designed bottle.
The Coca-Cola C0mpany recently introduced the PlantBottle, which is made from renewable, recyclable, plant-based plastic. While a bottle made from plant material whose sole purpose is to contain a liquid substance may seem farfetched, it truly is a revolutionary way to reinvent disposable packaging. For environmentally conscious fans of soft drinks, it has been a moral battle. There's really no getting around all the waste that cans and plastic bottles produce, if you drink soda regularly. Traditionally, 2-liter soda bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate, more commonly known as PET plastic, which is a non-renewable resource.
Coca-Cola's PlantBottle is comprised of a combination of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 percent plant-based materials. Not only is this new material fully recyclable, it reduces carbon emissions and, overall, is better for the planet. "The 'PlantBottle' is a significant development in sustainable packaging innovation," said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. "It builds on our legacy of environmental ingenuity and sets the course for us to realize our vision to eventually introduce bottles made with materials that are 100 percent recyclable and renewable." The PlantBottle came to fruition when the scientists at The Coca-Cola Company came up with a way to take a by-product of sugar production and turn it into a "key component of PET plastic," according to a press release recently issued by Coca-Cola.
This version of the PlantBottle is just a first generation design, as The Coca-Cola Company continues to explore other innovative plant-based materials in the production of their packaging. The Coca-Cola Company has also noted that a "life-cycle analysis conducted by Imperial College London indicates the 'PlantBottle' with 30 percent plant-base material reduces carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, compared with petroleum-based PET."
Another perk of the PlantBottle is that it doesn't take any special processes to recycle it. You can feel good knowing that you can send it to your local recycling plant, and it will be recycled just as any other recyclable material would be. While The Coca-Cola Company might like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony, they'd also like to teach us to use our resources in a more sustainable manner so we shouldn't have to feel guilty about our little indulgences. Look for the specially marked PlantBottles later this year in select markets with The Coca-Cola Company's Dasani and sparkling brands.
