PepsiCo has developed a new PET plastic bottle made entirely from plant-based, fully renewable resources. The new plant-based bottle, which is touted to be the world's first, allows the company to manufacture a beverage container with a considerably reduced carbon footprint.
PepsiCo has developed a new PET plastic bottle made entirely from plant-based, fully renewable resources. The new plant-based bottle, which is touted to be the world's first, allows the company to manufacture a beverage container with a considerably reduced carbon footprint.
The global soft drinks giant claims that its 'green' bottle is 100% recyclable. The bottle is made from bio-based raw materials, including switch grass, pine bark and corn husks.
PepsiCo has plans to expand the renewable sources used to create the 'green' bottle to include orange peels, potato peels, oat hulls and other agricultural byproducts from its foods business
The company has combined biological and chemical processes to identify methods to create a molecular structure that is identical to petroleum-based PET, which results in a bottle that looks, feels and protects its product as other PET beverage containers.
PepsiCo will pilot production of the new bottle in 2012. Once the pilot is complete, the company intends to move directly to full-scale commercialization.
PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said this innovation is a transformational development for the company and the beverage industry, and a direct result of its commitment to research and development.
"PepsiCo is in a unique position, as one of the world's largest food and beverage businesses, to ultimately source agricultural byproducts from our foods business to manufacture a more environmentally-preferable bottle for our beverages business - a sustainable business model that we believe brings to life the essence of Performance with Purpose," Nooyi added.
Source: PepsiCo