Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC), a strategic partner of the global Coca-Cola brand, has introduced two new initiatives to increase recycled bottles across its entire range of soft drink products in Romania and Ireland.
In Romania, the company has recently inaugurated its recycled PET (rPET) production unit within its Ploiesti factory, located north of Bucharest. This initiative marks the first instance of a beverage manufacturer in Romania venturing into the in-house production of rPET for its packaging.
A PET flake decontamination unit has been installed in the factory, which happens to be the second-largest within the Coca-Cola HBC Group. Funded by an 11 million euro investment, including a 3.5 million euro state aid from the Romanian government, the decontamination unit is the third of its kind across Coca-Cola HBC’s expansive 29-market reach.
This follows a 100% rPET packaging rollout across Coca-Cola HBC Romania’s entire portfolio of soft drinks just this year. Brands include Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes, Cappy, Cappy Pulpy, Fuzetea, and Dorna. The in-house rPET production facility is set to produce high-quality rPET resin for the bottle portfolio.
In a statement, Zoran Bogdanovic, CEO of Coca-Cola HBC Romania, emphasized, “Our vision is to pioneer sustainable packaging solutions. Romania exemplifies our drive to collaborate with industry stakeholders, underlining our commitment to a circular economy for packaging.”
Furthermore, the company is set to introduce deposit return schemes (DRS) in Romania this December. This will enable the collection of bottles and cans for recycling as part of an initiative to create an in-house circular-economy model.
Five DRSs are currently established across Coca-Cola HBC markets, with another six to be put in place. Following this, Romania will become Coca-Cola HBC’s first market to use 100% recycled bottles, which can be returned and recycled in-house.
Coca-Cola launches 100% recycled bottles in Ireland
In a parallel move, Coca-Cola and its bottling collaborator, Coca-Cola HBC, have announced the rollout of 100% recycled plastic bottles in Ireland as part of a 20 million euro investment in sustainable packaging. This undertaking promises to eliminate around 7,100 tonnes of virgin plastic from the market annually.
The full range of Coca-Cola products with recycled bottles will include Coca-Cola Original Taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, and other brands such as Fanta and Sprite. Bottle closures and labels are not included and will continue to be constructed out of polythene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) respectively. These will be removed in the recycling process.
Both these milestones are significant strides for Coca-Cola HBC as they race to fulfill their sustainability targets. By the close of 2022, 22% of PET plastic employed across the company’s EU and Swiss territories was sourced from recycled materials.
With strategic investments in markets such as Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, the company is poised to nearly double this percentage, aiming for 50% rPET utilization by 2023’s end.
These advancements come at a crucial time, considering the Coca-Cola Company’s global standing as a leading plastic polluter. The company has pledged a goal of net zero across its entire value chain by 2040. 377 million has already been invested in sustainability, which has successfully reduced emissions by 30% across its entire supply chain.
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