Coca-Cola Europacific Partners teams up with Swansea University for novel ethylene production research

11 Sep 2023 --- Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has announced an investment in “cutting-edge” carbon conversion research to create more environmentally sustainable packaging materials.

The research will be conducted by researchers at Swansea University, UK, focusing on a novel approach to manufacturing ethylene, a crucial component in plastic production, for use in high-density PE products such as bottle caps.

The project aims to develop technology that can utilize CO2 captured from the atmosphere as an alternative to fossil fuels in ethylene production. The initiative is part of CCEP’s innovation investment engine, CCEP Ventures (CCEPV), aligned with the company’s net zero 2040 ambition.

“We know that making our packaging materials more [environmentally] sustainable is key to decarbonizing our business, and technology will play an important role in helping us solve this challenge,” says Craig Twyford, head of CCEPV.

“Through Ventures, we are committed to seeking and funding solutions to build a better future for our business, communities and the planet. If scaled, this technology could impact both our fossil fuel use and carbon emissions and help to accelerate a low-carbon future for CCEP.”

The research will develop an environmentally sustainable method to produce ethylene.Scaling fossil fuel alternatives
The three-year project will initially focus on developing a highly efficient CO2-to-ethylene conversion process before exploring scale-up options.

“We take a practical approach in our research focusing specifically on [environmentally] sustainable applications, and fossil-free ethylene production is certainly a key one,” shares professor Enrico Andreoli, head of Chemical Engineering at Swansea University and principal investigator of the project.

“We build upon our strong background and expertise in carbon dioxide conversion, and with the support of CCEPV, our common goal of delivering low-carbon plastic can become a reality.”

As part of CCEP’s sustainability action plan, known as This Is Forward, the company says it is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its packaging and promoting a transition to a circular economy for plastic.

The Swansea research partnership complements CCEP’s previous collaborations, including one with the University of California, Berkeley, US, to convert captured CO2 into sugar and an investment in CuRe Technology to address hard-to-recycle plastic polyester waste.

Furthermore, CCEP, The Coca-Cola Company and seven other bottling partners launched a separate US$137.7 million venture capital fund dedicated to ecological investments, complementing the efforts of CCEPV.

Edited by Radhika Sikaria

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