Coca-Cola launches 500ml bottles made from 100% recycled plastic in Hong Kong as it cuts environmental footprint
- ‘We are taking a significant step to reducing our environmental footprint, and creating a more sustainable future for all,’ says company executive at launch event
- The famous fizzy drinks maker aims to collect and recycle every bottle and every can that it produces by 2030
The global beverage giant said on Monday afternoon that all 500ml bottles for Coca-Cola Original, Coca-Cola No Sugar and Coca-Cola Plus in Hong Kong have shifted to 100 per cent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in their production, the first such use of the material in China.
It has already made the move to recycled plastic 500ml bottles in countries including Canada, the Philippines and Myanmar.
“By using 100 per cent rPET bottles, we are taking a significant step to reducing our environmental footprint, and creating a more sustainable future for all,” said Warwick at a launch event for the recycled bottles on Monday.
“In Hong Kong, we have to dispose about 2,300 tonnes of plastic waste every day into our landfills, accounting for about 21 per cent of our total municipal solid waste,” said Samuel Chui, the government’s director of environmental protection, at the launch event.
“Out of this plastic waste, around 4 per cent – that is more than a hundred tonnes per day – are plastic beverage bottles, of which over 90 per cent are made of PET. Indeed, the PET plastic bottles have a very high recycling value and can be turned into useful resources.
“This new and environmentally friendly packaging will not only contribute to the development of a local circular economy of plastics, but also [act as] an encouraging benchmark for the trade.”
Drink Without Waste is a voluntary scheme bringing together drink manufacturers and environmental groups to raise the recycling rate of single-use bottles and containers in the city.