Coca-Cola Amatil has succeeded in creating a carbonated soft drink bottle manufactured from 100 per cent recycled plastic, for the first time in Australia.
In an effort to promote sustainability, all single-serve plastic bottles in Australia will be switch to the fully recycled materials by the end of 2019.
“This switch to 100 per cent recycled materials for carbonated beverages is an Australian first, and a real credit to our technical team. We think every beverage container should be recycled and live again, not become waste in our marine and land environment,” said Amatil group managing director Alison Watkins.
“But pressure inside a soft drink bottle is up to 100 psi, or around three times the pressure in a car tyre. So the bottle for carbonated drinks needs to be much stronger than for still beverages, and that’s been an obstacle in using 100 per cent recycled materials for these types of drinks.
“I’m pleased to say we’ve overcome this challenge through innovation and design, and we’re now the first in Australia to make 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles for carbonated beverages. That’s great news for the sustainability of our products, and a credit to Australian innovation.”
Watkins said there is pressure coming from the FMCG industry to speed up the use of recycled materials in bottling. Amatil has already stopped the distribution of plastic straws and has partnered with Keep Australia Beautiful to target littered spots around the country.
The new 100 per cent recycled plastic bottle range coincides with The Coca-Cola Company’s “World without Waste” that aims to collect and recycle one bottle or can for each one it produces.
Mount Franklin Still range converted to 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles in 2018. Coca-Cola Australia and CCA have previously announced that 7 out of 10 of their plastic bottles will be recyclable by 2020. This will reduce Amatil’s use of virgin plastic by around 10,000 tonnes a year.
