Coca-Cola Sustainability Exec: The importance of taking a more holistic approach to packaging design

19 Feb 2020 --- Nick Brown, Head of Sustainability at Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has cautioned that swapping out plastics for other materials without addressing the fundamental challenges of material collection could increase the environmental impacts of packaging and decrease its effectiveness. Ahead of Packaging Innovations 2020 in Birmingham, UK, Brown speaks to PackagingInsights about his role at the show and how the packaging sustainability debate is evolving. He describes how increasing recovery rates are allowing CCEP to drive up the use of recycled plastics in its bottles, how a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) could further improve recyclate supply and the importance of taking a holistic approach to packaging design.

What will be your contribution to Packaging Innovations 2020?
Brown: The great thing about a panel session is that you never know exactly what’s going to come up. I hope that we can explain some of the work we are doing to improve the sustainability of the packaging we use. The session will have a particular focus on how to design packaging and programs which work well for consumers; whether it’s reducing littering, improving recycling or more fundamental changes in the way drinks are delivered and consumed.

The show’s ‘Big Plastics Debate’ is transitioning to the ‘Big Carbon Debate.’ What does this signify to you about how perceptions of plastic are evolving?
Brown: Packaging plays a really important role in modern society but it does have a significant environmental footprint. It’s right to take a broader view of sustainability to ensure these issues are well understood and progress can be made to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging. Broadening the debate to consider the role the packaging industry will need to play in addressing the climate emergency is a good move.

Coca-Cola Sweden announced that it is transitioning to 100 percent recycled PET (rPET) across major brands. How long until CCEP uses 100 percent rPET throughout Europe?
Brown: CCEP has been leading in the use of recycled materials, especially plastics, for many years. We know that by using recycled materials we reduce the need for the extraction of new materials and we support the collection and reprocessing of existing materials. We have learned a lot about recycling plastics since we helped to build the UK’s first, and still only, bottle to bottle reprocessing plant in 2012. A quarter of all the plastic we’ve used in our bottles since then has been from that plant. As recovery rates have increased we are now able to move to 50 percent recycled content across our range this summer and we know we can go further on specific products like Glaceau Smart Water, which is the first major water brand to only use 100 percent recycled plastic bottles. To go beyond 50 percent across the rest of our products will require higher collection rates and better quality materials. This is why we have been supporting the introduction of a well-designed DRS, which will really make a difference on both fronts.

Coca-Cola Head of Sustainability Bea Perez said during the World Economic Forum 2020 held in Davos that the company will not be moving away from plastic bottles because consumers still prefer them. Given the supposedly growing anti-plastic sentiment, is this an observation you agree with?
Brown: There are some properties of plastics that are hard to replicate with other materials. Plastics are lightweight, unbreakable and resealable. Moving to other materials without addressing some of the fundamental challenges of material collection and treatment risks could increase other environmental impacts and will lead to packaging which doesn’t work as well. The solution is to take a more holistic approach and ensure the range of impacts are understood when making any change. There is much to be done to improve the design, use, collection and reuse of all the plastic, glass and metals used for beverage packaging and in other sectors. We are leaders in the use of refillable packaging, concentrated products and dispense equipment. Understanding how these formats can work better for more customers is a key area of research for the business.

Nestlé announced an investment of up to 2 billion Swiss francs to “pioneer the shift” from virgin plastics to food-grade recycled plastics. Will CCEP be committing to similar investments in recycled plastics?
Brown: We applaud the moves of anyone in the industry to help improve the resource efficiency of their packaging. CCEP has a long history of investing in emerging recycling technologies and paying the costs of using recycled materials, which is especially important at times where recycled materials have been more expensive than virgin materials. Our latest investment in next-generation recycling technologies is helping us to bring low-grade plastics back into food-grade bottles – something which would have seemed impossible just a couple of years ago.

Perez also asserted that aluminum packaging could push up carbon footprint levels. Will CCEP be working to reduce aluminum?
Brown: We use a range of packaging materials and have been working to improve the design, use, collection and recycled content of all of them. This helps reduce the environmental impact of all our drinks. Last year we reduced the amount of aluminum used in the cans we sell, saving nearly 1,000 tons of aluminum each year with a significant carbon benefit.

What specific action would you like to see the UK government take to improve recycling levels?
Brown: We have long been calling for changes in the way collection and recycling services are designed, delivered and funded. We know that to have better systems businesses, we need to work more closely with local authorities on schemes and contribute financially to them. We support reform of the producer responsibility schemes to achieve a more common approach to recycling services and also the introduction of a well-designed DRS for beverage bottles and cans.

By Joshua Poole