Coca-Cola GB is continuing its sustainable packaging drive with a move to 100% recycled plastic across its Glaceau Smartwater range.
The change will remove 3,100 tonnes of virgin plastic from circulation. Starting from this month, 600ml and 800ml bottles of Glaceau Smartwater will be made from recycled PET plastic.
Coca-Cola GB has also revealed that it is on track to double the recycled content of all of its plastic bottles, across its 20 brands, by early 2020.
Leendert den Hollander, vice-president and GB general manager for Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) said: “Using more recycled plastic is a critical element of our sustainable packaging strategy, as it reduces the amount of virgin material used in our packs. None of this is easy and I am proud of the teams’ work to ensure we are on track to move to at least 50% recycled PET plastic on all of our bottles in 2020.
“Our new Smartwater bottle shows we can go further. But that requires more packaging to be collected so that more can be reused to make new bottles. That’s why we support the planned reforms of the current recycling system in Great Britain and are calling for the introduction of a well-designed deposit return scheme for drinks containers, which we believe will reduce litter and increase the quantity and quality of material reprocessed in this country.”
In addition, Coca-Cola is replacing its current green Sprite bottle with a clear pack to make it easier to recycle and remade into new drinks bottles.
The clear bottles, which will come into circulation from September this year, are designed to show the drinks company’s commitment to recycling and the circular economy in the UK. Sprite bottles will also contain 50% recycled PET from 2020.
