Coca-Cola Introduces a Beverage Bottle Made with Recycled Plants. Sweet!

Coca-Cola announced yesterday that it will pilot the “PlantBottle™” made partially from Sugarcane and molasses. The bottle will be rolled-out initially in North America with Dasani water, and later in carbonated beverages and vitaminwater in 2010. According to a release from the company, the bottle is “fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on non-renewable resources, and reduces carbon emissions, compared with petroleum-based PET plastic bottles.” Notably, the “PlantBottle” can make use of existing manufacturing and recycling facilities without “contaminating traditional PET.” The result is that the material in the new bottle can be used, recycled, and reused again and again. Some speculate that this latest innovation may be driven by Wal-Mart’s 2008 launch of their packaging scorecard that rates suppliers on their sustainability. Coca-Cola acknowledges their overall goal of “closing the loop” on packaging to produce truly sustainable solutions for all their products. Exciting stuff!