Coca-Cola new bottle advances World Without Waste goals

Grabbing a bottle of your favorite soda is changing. The Coca-Cola new bottle looks to transition to bottles “made from 100% recycled plastic material.” With this step to address single use plastic waste, will change their beverage preferences?

Single use plastic is a substantial environmental concern. While there is convenience to grabbing that favorite beverage off the shelf, that grab and go opportunity comes with a longer impact. After the refreshment fades, that bottle lingers in landfills far longer.

As companies understand their responsibility not only to provide a great tasting product but also an environmentally forward thinking packaging, changes are being made and re-purposed. With the World Without Waste initiative, Coca-Cola sought to achieve the goal of collecting and recycling the equivalent of one bottle or can for everyone one sold by the year 2030.

What does a fully recycled bottle mean for Coca-Cola?

According to Alpa Sutaria, Vice President and General Manager, Sustainability, North America Operating Unit, Coca-Cola looks beyond the beverage in the bottle and wants to innovative the bottle itself. Sutaria said, “Given our scale and resources, we realize our unique opportunity and clear responsibility to make a positive difference in the global plastic crisis, bringing us closer to our ambitious World Without Waste goals.”

The new bottles will begin to be available in the Coca-Cola, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Flavors. DASANI and SmartWater will follow as well as Sprite bottles. As the transition happens, the brand hopes to spark a change in consumers’ habits and knowledge.

Each of the new bottles will be labeled with “Recycle Me” messages. While that little reminder might not be overly obvious, every little message can and does make a difference.

Previously, DASANI employed a HyrbridBottle. That packaging was made from a combination of plants and recycled material. It was an example of pushing the conversation of convenience with a conscious.

As these new products become available, consumers might not even realize the change. Although people should be more aware of placing recyclable materials in proper receptables, the change in packaging should be seamless. More importantly, the positive impact on the environmental impact should be noticeable. Any and every change does make a difference.

What do you think of the Coca-Cola initiative? Could it make you choose a new beverage off the shelf?