Coca-Cola unveils recyclable plastic bottle partially made from plants

16-May-09

The Coca-Cola Company recently unveiled a new fully recyclable plastic bottle -- PlantBottle(TM) -- made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 percent plant-based materials. The new plastic bottle is made through an innovative process that turns sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar production, into a key component for PET plastic. Coca-Cola is also exploring the use of other plant materials for future generations of the PlantBottle(TM). As far as manufacturing is concerned, a life-cycle analysis conducted by Imperial College London indicates the bottle reduces carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, compared with petroleum-based PET. Earlier this year, the Company opened the world's largest plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, S.C. The plant will produce approximately 100 million pounds of recycled PET plastic for reuse each year - the equivalent of nearly 2 billion 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles. These efforts are all focused on helping "close the loop" on packaging use and produce truly sustainable packages for consumers.