Coca-Cola launches sip-sized rPET bottle, transitions Sprite to clear plastic for easier recycling

09 Feb 2021 --- Coca-Cola is launching a 13.2 oz “sippable” bottle made from 100 percent recycled PET (rPET), excluding the cap and label, as part of a range of new virgin plastic reduction measures in the US. 

“Our consumers want us to lead on plastic waste solutions because they know we can be a catalyst for driving change, not just in our industry, but across consumer packaged goods,” Alpa Sutaria, VP and general manager for sustainability, North America Operating Unit of The Coca-Cola Company, tells PackagingInsights.

“The 13.2 oz bottle is designed in a perfect-portioned, conveniently-sized package – ideal for easy sipping while on the go.”

The sip-sized bottle is available at convenience stores in the Northeast, Florida and California starting this February across the Coca-Cola (Coke, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke), Fanta and Sprite brands.

A clear pathway for recycling
Sprite is also transitioning to clear plastic by the end of 2022, making it easier to recycle bottles.

“There is a slight tint to 13.2 oz 100 percent recycled plastic, which has to do with the fact that these bottles are made from recycled plastic, and it is challenging to make the plastic perfectly clear,” explains Sutaria.

“Clear or blue-tinted PET bottles are necessary to make new bottles from rPET. All other colors of PET cannot be recycled into bottles because they contaminate the rPET stream.”

“For this reason, we also are introducing a new 13.2 oz bottle made from 100 percent recycled material in a new, clear package in the Northeast, Florida and California this month.”Coca-Cola is encouraging consumers to recycle the 13.2 oz bottles with “Recycle Me Again” label messages.

Ramping up rPET
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is rolling out 20 oz bottles made from 100 percent rPET across Coke and Diet Coke in California, New York and Texas, also this month.

In the bottled water category, Dasani is set to launch 20 oz bottles made from 100 percent rPET in New York, California and Texas, starting March 2021. In April, 30 percent rPET 20 oz Dasani bottles will be available across the country.

Also, smartwater will introduce 20 oz bottles made from 100 percent rPET in New York and California in July while also introducing a resealable and reusable 18 oz aluminum bottle in California and Florida this month.

The development of rPET bottles is not without its challenges. “It took us about nine months to get to a point where we had designed a bottle that could not only meet the packaging performance required for a carbonated beverage but also, once tested with consumers, get a final product they were happy with,” Sutaria recalls.

“One of the biggest challenges in creating this bottle is procuring enough clean, food-grade recycled plastic to make enough of these sustainable bottles.”

Investing in the circular economy
Coca-Cola is working to overcome the rPET supply challenge by creating more demand for recycled content while also incentivizing the collection of recyclables.

“We’re investing in community recycling programs and infrastructure across the US. We’ve set a clear goal for our business to recover and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell and use 50 percent recycled content in our packaging by 2030,” outlines Sutaria.

“We know we need to work with many partners from industry to NGOs to government and consumers to achieve this goal. The company has invested more than US$17 million in the US to support recycling infrastructure and education in thousands of communities in partnership with NGOs as well as government and industry entities.”The sip-sized bottle, clear Sprite packaging and various rPET transitions are expected to save 10,000 metric tons in GHG emissions annually.

Through its industry association, The American Beverage Association, Coca-Cola has invested in a US$100 million fund to support community recycling programs across the country, she adds.

The Coca-Cola Company is also a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy, an initiative building momentum toward a circular plastics system, which recently reported “limited progress” in the plastic pollution fight.

In December, Break Free From Plastics’ Brand Audit Report named Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestlé as the three most plastic polluting FMCG companies for the third consecutive year.

“Recycle me again” labels
Together, the sip-sized bottle, clear Sprite packaging and various rPET transitions are expected to reduce virgin plastic by more than 20 percent across the company’s North American portfolio compared to 2018, saving 10,000 metric tons in GHG emissions annually.

Moreover, the company is encouraging consumers to recycle bottles and cans, with each 13.2 oz rPET bottle featuring a “Recycle Me Again” message on the label.

“We want to inspire everyone to join us in reducing waste, so we’re encouraging people to recycle their bottles and cans with our largest on-package messaging effort ever,” Sutaria highlights.

“There will be four touchpoints of recycling messaging on our packages, including on the cap and a few messages on the label.”Dasani is set to launch 20 oz bottles made from 100% rPET in New York, California and Texas.

“The goal is for consumers to recycle these recyclable bottles so they can be used again and again as raw material for more new bottles, supporting closed-loop recycling systems and circular economies for PET.”

The company is also advertising its recycling message through billboards, radio ads and in-store marketing materials.

Waste reduction sidesteps COVID-19
Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste goals have not wavered during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Sutaria.

The company aims to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one it sells by 2030, make its packaging 100 percent recyclable by 2025 and use 50 percent recycled material in its bottles and cans by 2030.

“The pandemic demonstrates that our society, even at the international level, is capable of massive shifts across all sectors to meet a crisis head-on,” notes Sutaria.

“Though the pandemic is presenting challenges, we remain committed to addressing the problem of plastic waste.”

Around the world, the FMCG giant delivers its beverages in a range of packaging, including PET, aluminum and glass, as well as refillable and packaging-free.

“We are exploring and expanding on all of these systems to ensure Coca-Cola is delivering refreshments to consumers in the most environmentally sustainable way.”

“By rolling out this new suite of products made from 100 percent recycled materials in our flagship market [the US], we’re one step closer to achieving our goals to create a circular economy for our packaging,” she concludes.

In Europe, Coca-Cola is replacing the iconic logo on its aluminum cans and plastic bottles with a series of “inspiring” resolutions in an “Open To Better” initiative for the year ahead.

By Joshua Poole