Big brands brace for sustainable drink pack shake up

News reports today suggest that the Coca-Cola Company is soon set to launch a new design for its bottled beverage packs that could potentially be derived from up to 30 per cent plant matter.

The pack announcement, which was reported by the Reuters news agency, comes just a few days after the UK-based arm of multinational Heineken said it would be replacing secondary cardboard packaging from some of its leading canned lagers and cider.

Scrutiny​

As drink makers come under increasing environmental scrutiny, companies have been keen to differentiate their products with varying strategies in relation to packaging and distribution.

Brewer Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) says that brands such as Foster’s, Kronenbourg 1664 and Strongbow will now be sold in a collated film it claims is both significantly lighter and more practical than cardboard.

It is in this market place that Coca-Cola is also expected to announce its development of a new ‘plantbottle’ derived partly from sugar cane and molasses to promote its own attempts at more sustainable production.

The bottle is expected to be trialled in North America though brands like Dasani water, before possible wider rollouts next year to products like Vitaminwater, reports Reuters.

Renewable resources​

Similarly, NatureWorks, a leading supplier of plant-derived bioresins, said in February that it believes there has been significant shifts in the last two years in the number of global beverage groups turning to bottles made from renewable resources.

The group, which manufactures the Ingeo natural plastic resin, said there had been significant advancement to its pledge made back in 2006 to work with beverage groups on phased launches of bioresin bottles and understanding end-of-life strategies.

Just last year, PepsiCo claimed that it was leading its competitors in sustainable bottle initiatives by using up to ten per cent recycled material in its plastic packs.