New Coca-Cola bottle made from plant-based plastic
The Coca-Cola Company has unveiled a new plastic bottle made partially from plants.
The PlantBottle is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on a non-renewable resource, and reduces carbon emissions, compared with petroleum-based PET plastic bottles.
“It is a significant development in sustainable packaging innovation, says 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 realise our vision to eventually introduce bottles made with materials that are 100 percent recyclable and renewable.
Traditional PET bottles are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. However, the new bottle is made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 per cent plant-based materials thanks to a process that turns sugar cane and molasses – a by-product of sugar production – into a key component for PET plastic.
Manufacturing the PlantBottle is also more environmentally efficient, with a life-cycle analysis conducted by Imperial College London indicating that its 30 per cent plant-base material reduces carbon emissions by up to 25 per cent, compared with petroleum-based PET.