Coca-Cola India has made a significant sustainability move by introducing its Coca-Cola brand in 100% recycled PET (rPET) bottles, available in pack sizes of 250 ml and 750 ml. These eco-friendly bottles are being produced in collaboration with the company’s key bottling partners and are a step towards promoting plastic circularity in India. The rPET bottles are composed of 100% food-grade rPET material, excluding caps and labels, and the company aims to raise consumer awareness about this environmentally responsible packaging.
Sanjeev Agarwal, Chairman of Coca-Cola’s franchise bottling partner Moon Beverages, which is a part of the MMG Group, emphasized the importance of recycled PET in India, stating, “Recycled PET is a big move in the right direction to embrace plastic circularity in India. Our new bottles made with food-grade rPET are recyclable and can become another bottle, giving them another life.”
In addition to its Coca-Cola brand, the company also produces Sprite and Minute Maid juices. Coca-Cola has extended the use of 100% rPET bottles to more than 40 markets worldwide, bringing it closer to its ambitious goal of achieving bottles with 50% recycled content by 2030.
Enrique Ackermann, Vice President of Technical and Innovation at Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, expressed the company’s commitment to enhancing the recycled content in its packaging, promoting the use of refillable bottles, and actively participating in packaging collection for recycling.
Coca-Cola has introduced a convenient mechanism for consumers to contribute to recycling efforts. Customers can return empty PET bottles at conveniently placed drop-off points or use reverse vending machines (RVMs). Additionally, the company has an existing ‘return and recycle’ program in collaboration with the e-commerce platform Zepto, which focuses on gathering PET bottles directly from consumers, further strengthening its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.