THE Coca-Cola Co. announced on January 20 it is fundamentally reshaping its approach to packaging, with a global goal to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100 percent of its packaging by 2030.
“This goal is the centerpiece of the company’s new packaging vision for a ‘World Without Waste,’ which the Coca-Cola system intends to back with a multiyear investment that includes ongoing work to make packaging 100-percent recyclable,” the company said in a statement. “This begins with the understanding that food and beverage containers are an important part of people’s modern lives but that there is much more to be done to reduce packaging waste globally.”
“The world has a packaging problem—and, like all companies, we have a responsibility to help solve it,” James Quincey, company President and CEO, was quoted in the statement as saying. “Through our vision, we are investing in our planet and our packaging to help make this problem a thing of the past.”
The company said that for every bottle or can the Coca-Cola system sells globally, it aims by 2030 to help take one back so it has more than one life.
“The company is investing its marketing dollars and skills behind this 100-percent collection goal to help people understand what, how and where to recycle,” the company said. “We will support collection of packaging across the industry, including bottles and cans from other companies.”
Coca-Cola said it is also designing “better” bottles, “whether through more recycled content, by developing plant-based resins, or by reducing the amount of plastic in each container.”
“By 2030, the Coca-Cola system also aims to make bottles with an average of 50 percent recycled content,” it said. “The goal is to set a new global standard for beverage packaging. Currently, the majority of the Company’s packaging is recyclable.”
Winn Everhart, President & General Manager of Coca-Cola Philippines, was quoted as saying he is encouraging consumers “to recycle as part of a circular economy, where plastic, glass and aluminum are reused or repurposed as many times as possible, rather than being used once and then thrown away.”
“We look forward to working with the industry, local communities, NGOs, government organizations, and even our critics to highlight this critical issue,” Everhart said. “When we all come together to help solve this problem, collectively we will make a bigger difference than if we simply act alone.”
The company said its business in the Philippines is supporting the group called Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability, which is supported by the National Solid Waste Management Commission and composed of the top corporations in the fast-moving consumer goods sector.