Pepsi and Coca-Cola are both introducing plant-based bottles to consumers soon. Coca-Cola has already begun its program, and Pepsi is planning to roll out its version beginning with a pilot program starting next year. Both these plastics have the same basis as regular, plastic PET bottles. However, they have replaced petroleum-based chemicals with plant-based chemicals to make the bottles more environmentally friendly.
The reason they introduced this bottle? Increased hype about the green movement is one reason. Coca-Cola has been searching for a plant-based bottle since around 2002, and believes they have found the answer. Their new model is made from thirty percent plant products and is fully recycle. Deemed “PlantBottles,” these bottles have been specially formulated so that they can hold all of Coca-Cola’s products, not just certain ones. They also look at the energy input put into the plants they use in their bottles, and select which plants to use based on the energy input. So far, they have selected to use only sugarcane and molasses from Brazil. However, that is bound to change in the future as farmers become more aware of this opportunity to partner with Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola’s goal is to recycle these bottles, because they believe it is better to reuse the plastic than to make a bio-degradable plastic and put the bottles back in the Earth after just one use. They are working on expanding bottle-to-bottle recycling. Their ultimate goal: have one hundred percent plant based plastics on the market by 2020.
Pepsi’s bottle is in the beginning stages of their plant-based bottle, and won’t begin selling it until 2012. It is supposed to be plant-based and recyclable; however, it will also use materials that come from Pepsi’s food businesses.
No comments:
Post a Comment