Starting this month, The Coca-Cola Co.’s Dasani and Odwalla single-serving bottles will be available exclusively in PlantBottle packaging. Single-serve Odwalla packages now are made with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic made from up to 100 percent plant-based materials . PET bottles for Dasani are made with up to 30 percent plant-based materials.
In 2010, more than 2.5 billion PlantBottle packages were available across nine countries, the company said. For 2011, that number is expected to double to more than 5 billion PlantBottle packages in more than 15 countries.
"It's our goal to make traditional plastic bottles a thing of the past and ensure that every beverage we produce is available in 100 percent plant-based, fully recyclable packaging," said Scott Vitters, general manager of Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle packaging platform, in a statement. "The national launch of Dasani PlantBottle packaging represents an important step toward reducing our carbon footprint, and the up to 100 percent plant-based, recyclable packaging used for Odwalla is the first of its kind in the beverage industry."
Incorporating a blend of petroleum-based materials with up to 30 percent plant-based materials allows PlantBottle packaging for Dasani to reduce potential intrinsic carbon dioxide emissions when compared with PET plastic bottles, Coca-Cola said. PlantBottle packaging used for Odwalla is made of HDPE plastic that is created using only ethylene, which is derived from 100 percent renewable sugarcane-based ethanol.
The plant-based materials for both Dasani and Odwalla PlantBottle packaging are produced through a process that turns sugarcane into a key component for PET and HDPE plastic. Currently, PlantBottle packaging is made using sugarcane ethanol from Brazil.
PlantBottle packaging is entirely recyclable and can be processed through existing systems. This ensures PlantBottle packaging can be repeatedly used, recycled and reused, Coca-Cola said. In addition, no differences can be detected in shelf life, weight, composition and appearance between traditional PET plastic bottles and PlantBottle plastic bottles, it said.
Currently, Coca-Cola is working to further technology so other plant materials can be used in future PlantBottle packaging, the company said. The ultimate long-term goal is to turn waste into a resource, resulting in a carbon neutral, 100 percent renewable, responsibly sourced bottle that is fully recyclable, it said.
