INDIA – Austrian packaging solution provider ALPLA has aided Coca-Cola India to launch a new bottle made from 100% recycled polyethene terephthalate (rPET) for the latter’s Kinley brand.
This is the first time in India that any bottle made with 100% rPET is being used for food/beverage.
According to Coca-Cola India, the new bottle features a unique label displaying, ‘100% made from recycled food grade plastic, marking a major milestone for Coca-Cola in India in realizing its circular economy endeavors.’
The move also represents an important step for ALPLA and Coca-Cola in India in their collaborative efforts to establish a circular economy. Both parties started production after receiving approval from the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Enrique Ackermann, Vice President, Technical and Innovation, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia said: “We are proud to be the first beverage company in India to offer our consumers a sustainable choice of packaging, by launching Kinley bottles made from 100% recycled PET.
“Our new bottles made with food-grade rPET have value beyond their initial use, as they are fully recyclable and can be repurposed into new bottles.
“This is also an endeavor on our part to complement the Government of India’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ initiative.”
Aligned with its global commitment of creating a ‘World Without Waste’, the company has set a goal of using at least 50% recycled content in its packaging by 2030; working towards using more recycled content in its packaging.
The company has been working towards this goal for years and has made consistent progress in reducing the use of virgin plastic across its value chain globally.
Currently, 90% of the company’s packaging is recyclable while 15% of PET used is recycled (rPET) across the globe. rPET bottles are made from food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
When PET bottles are recycled, the plastic is recycled as per the technologies that are approved by US FDA and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for food-grade recycled material, and reformed into new PET bottles, reducing the need for virgin plastic for producing PET Bottles.
The use of rPET bottles not only conserves natural resources but also reduces the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the larger ecosystem.
In December 2022, Coca-Cola Bangladesh launched 100% rPET bottles, making it the first market in the Southwest Asia (SWA) region to introduce Kinley water bottles in 2-liter packages.
The Coca-Cola Company now offers 100% rPET bottles in more than about 40 markets.
