Coca-Cola moves to 100% recycled bottles in Ireland as part of €20m investment

The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) has announced it is now using 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles for its soft drinks portfolio in Ireland.

In collaboration with bottling partner Coca-Cola HBC, the company said the new 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles, which are also 100 per cent recyclable, will be used across the full range of Coca-Cola products, including Coca-Cola Original Taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, and other brands owned by the company such as Fanta and Sprite.

This does not include bottle closures and bottle labels, which will continue to be made from polythene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) respectively, and will be removed in the recycling process.

The company said the move would lead to the elimination of an additional 7,100 tonnes of virgin plastic from circulation annually.

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The roll-out is part of a €20 million investment by Coca-Cola in sustainable packaging over the past number of years, which has included enhancement of the Coca-Cola HBC plant in Lisburn in Northern Ireland, and the purchase of recycled plastic material.

The move is part of a series of product changes being implemented by Coca-Cola in advance of the introduction of the deposit return scheme (DRS) in early 2024 in the Republic.

Agnese Filippi, country manager for Coca-Cola Ireland, said that moving to 100 per cent recycled plastic is an “important milestone” for sustainability at the company.

“As the biggest beverage brand on the island, we have a clear responsibility and opportunity to contribute to a circular economy – our actions make a big difference. At Coca-Cola Ireland, we will continue to challenge ourselves to reduce our packaging footprint and work with Irish consumers, Government and local authorities to create a true circular economy for our plastic bottles and cans,” she said.

Coca-Cola’s Irish business has also recently introduced KeelClip and cardboard packaging across its multipack cans portfolio, and Schweppes can range, removing 442 tonnes of shrink plastic from circulation annually.

This announcement is the latest step by Coca-Cola to deliver its global “World Without Waste” initiative, which aims to design more sustainable packaging and to collect and recycle the equivalent of a can or bottle for each one it sells by 2030.