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More than a decade after the debut of Coca-Cola's PlantBottle (as the world's first recyclable PET plastic bottle made from up to 30% plant-based materials). Coca-Cola has launched the first beverage bottle made entirely from 100% plant-based plastic, excluding caps and labels. The sustainable packaging journey has crossed an important milestone.
"Over the years, we have worked with technology partners to develop the right technology to make bottles with 100% plant-based ingredients, designed to minimize carbon footprint as much as possible. It's exciting that we now have this technology and it can be scaled by participants in the value chain," said Nancy Quan, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Coca-Cola.
PET contains two molecules: approximately 30% monoethylene glycol (MEG) and 70% terephthalic acid (PTA). The original PlantBottle launched in 2009 included MEG from sugarcane, but until now PTA has come from oil-based sources. Coca-Cola says PlantBottle packaging looks, functions, and recycles the same as traditional PET, but has less impact on Earth and its resources.
The company's new prototype plant-based bottle is made from plant-based paraxylene (bPX) - using a new process from Virent that has been converted into plant-based terephthalic acid (BPTA). Coca-Cola says as the first beverage packaging material made from bPX produced at demonstration scale, this new technology marks a significant shift in the commercial viability of bio-materials. The bottle's bPX is produced from corn sugar, which helps with feedstock flexibility.
A second breakthrough technology co-owned by Coca-Cola and Changchun Meihoo Technology simplifies bMEG production processes and allows feedstock flexibility, meaning more types of renewable materials can be used. Typically, bMEG is produced by converting sugarcane or corn into bioethanol as an intermediate, then converting it to bioethylene glycol. Now, sugar sources can directly produce MEG, thus simplifying the process.
UPM-Kymmene is the first licensee of this technology and is currently building a comprehensive commercial facility in Germany to convert certified, sustainably sourced hardwood raw materials from sawmills and other wood industry byproducts into bMEG.
"The challenge with using bioethanol is that you're competing with fuel," said Dana Breed, Global R&D Director for Packaging and Sustainability at Coca-Cola. "We need a next-generation MEG solution that addresses this challenge, and also one that can use second-generation feedstocks such as forestry waste or agricultural byproducts. Our goal for plant-based PET is to use residual agricultural products to minimize carbon emissions, so the combination of commercialized technologies brought by partners fits perfectly with this strategy."
In 2015, Coca-Cola launched the first 100% bio-based Plant Bottle prototype at the Milan Expo, using laboratory-scale production methods to produce bPX. However, this next-generation 100% plant-based bottle now uses new technology to produce the biochemicals for manufacturing bottles and is ready for commercial scaling.
"Our goal is to develop sustainable solutions for the entire industry," said Breed. "We hope other companies join us moving forward. We don't view renewable or recycled content as an area where we want competitive advantage."
Since launching PlantBottle, Coca-Cola has allowed non-competing companies to use the technology and branding in their products—from Heinz ketchup to fabric interiors in Ford Fusion hybrids. In 2018, the company more broadly opened up PlantBottle IP to beverage industry competitors to expand demand and reduce pricing.
As part of its "World Without Waste" vision, Coca-Cola is working to make all its packaging more sustainable, including maximizing the use of recyclable and renewable content while minimizing the use of virgin fossil materials. The company commits to recycling the equivalent of every bottle it sells by 2030, so its packaging doesn't become waste, old bottles are recycled into new bottles; making its packaging 100% recyclable; and ensuring 50% of its packaging comes from recycled materials.
This innovation supports the "World Without Waste" vision, particularly Coca-Cola's recently announced goal to reduce 3 million tons of virgin plastic from petroleum sources by 2025. Coca-Cola will achieve this by investing in new recycling technologies such as enhanced recycling, packaging improvements (such as light-weighting), alternative business models (such as refillables, dispensers, and fountain systems), and development of new renewable materials.
In Europe and Japan, Coca-Cola and its bottling partners aim to completely stop using oil-based virgin PET in plastic bottles by 2030, using only recycled or renewable materials. While most plastic packaging materials will come from mechanical recycling content, some "virgin" materials will still be needed to maintain quality standards. This is why Coca-Cola invests in and promotes innovation to increase the supply of raw materials for renewable technologies and enhanced recycling technologies. Enhanced recycling "upcycles" any quality of PET plastic previously used to high-quality food-grade PET.
"We are taking significant steps to reduce the use of 'virgin' oil-based plastics as we commit to circular economy and support the shared goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050," said Nancy Quan. "We believe plant-based plastics will play a key role in our overall PET portfolio in the future, supporting our goals of reducing carbon footprint, reducing dependence on 'virgin' fossil fuels, and promoting PET collection to support circular economy."
