Just in time for Earth Month, The Coca-Cola Co. has announced that all of its Dasani brand water bottles nationwide and Odwalla single-serving juice bottles will be available exclusively in PlantBottle® packaging. The single-serve Odwalla packages are made from up to 100% plant-based materials with high-density polyethylene plastic, while PET bottles for Dasani are made with up to 30% plant-based materials.
According to Coca-Cola, billions of PlantBottle packages that will reach store shelves this year. In 2010, more than 2.5 billion PlantBottle packages were available across nine countries. For 2011, that number is expected to double to more than 5 billion PlantBottle packages in more than 15 countries.
“It’s our goal to make traditional plastic bottles a thing of the past and ensure that every beverage we produce is available in 100 percent plant-based, fully recyclable packaging,” says Scott Vitters, general manager, PlantBottle Packaging Platform, The Coca-Cola Company. “The national launch of Dasani PlantBottle packaging represents an important step toward reducing our carbon footprint, and the up to 100 percent plant-based, recyclable packaging used for Odwalla is the first of its kind in the beverage industry.”
Traditional PET bottles are made from petroleum and other nonrenewable fossil fuels. Incorporating a blend of petroleum-based materials with up to 30% plant-based materials allows PlantBottle packaging for Dasani to reduce potential intrinsic carbon dioxide emissions when compared with PET plastic bottles.
“Dasani is designed to make a difference by offering a better designed package for a more sustainable future,” says John Roddey, vice president and general manager, Water, Tea and Coffee, Coca-Cola North America. “Because Dasani PlantBottle packaging is up to 30 percent made from plants and still 100 percent recyclable, it was designed with the planet in mind by helping to reduce the impact of our packaging on the environment.”
Odwalla is first with 100% plant-based HDPE
PlantBottle packaging used for Odwalla is made of HDPE plastic created using only ethylene derived from 100-percent renewable sugarcane-based ethanol. Odwalla is the first nationally distributed beverage brand to transition its packaging to fully recyclable, HDPE plastic made from 100% plant-based materials.
“The launch of PlantBottle packaging for Odwalla represents a significant step in our brand’s ongoing efforts to protect our planet,” says Odwalla president Alison Lewis. “Since its inception, Odwalla has maintained a very simple vision: make great juice, do good things for the community, and build a business with a heart.”
The plant-based materials for both Dasani and Odwalla PlantBottle packaging are produced through a process that turns sugarcane into a key component for PET and HDPE plastic. Currently, PlantBottle packaging is made using sugarcane ethanol from Brazil, the only source widely recognized globally for its unique environmental and social performance, according to Coca-Cola. Brazilian sugarcane is primarily rain-fed and industrially grown on abundant, arable land using organic fertilizers. The plantations from which PlantBottle materials are sourced are located far away from Amazon rain forests, and their impact on biodiversity is reduced thanks to advanced farming practices and sound public policy.
Notes Coca-Cola, unlike other plant-based plastics, PlantBottle packaging is entirely recyclable and can be processed through existing systems. This ensures PlantBottle packaging can be repeatedly used, recycled, and reused. In addition, there are no differences in shelf life, weight, composition, or appearance between traditional PET plastic bottles and PlantBottle plastic bottles.
In late 2009, PlantBottle packaging was launched in the western U.S. and eight other markets around the world. To date, PlantBottle packaging is estimated to have eliminated the equivalent of 30,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or 3 million gallons of gasoline used to produce PET plastic bottles. Currently, Coca-Cola is working to further technology so other plant materials can be used in future PlantBottle packaging. The ultimate long-term goal is to turn waste into a resource, resulting in a carbon-neutral, 100%-renewable, responsibly sourced bottle that is fully recyclable.
“Several approaches to a PET package made entirely from plants have been successfully demonstrated in laboratory testing. We’re working to advance this breakthrough science to ensure it is commercially viable,” says Vitters. “PlantBottle packaging means only good things for everybody. We welcome others in the industry joining us in advancing the science behind packaging made from plants.”
The national rollout of PlantBottle packaging for Dasani will be supported by a national television spot breaking in April. Additional executions will include enhanced packaging graphics, as well as out-of-home, print, digital, and point-of sale-advertising to build awareness for PlantBottle packaging. Odwalla’s marketing program includes coupons, print advertising, and digital programs. New labeling point-of-sale materials for in-store displays will feature attention-grabbing messages such as “Paper or Plastic? Try Plant!”
