The Coca‑Cola Company is First to Launch Multiple Sparkling Beverages in 100% Recycled Plastic Bottles* Across Canada

Beloved beverages including Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta in 500mL bottles will be made with 100% recycled plastic bottles*, saving 7.6 million pounds of new plastic in 2024 alone

TORONTO, Oct. 26, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, The Coca-Cola Company is announcing that all its 500mL sparkling beverage bottles in Canada will be made with 100% recycled plastic* (*excluding caps and labels) by early 2024. This marks the first time 500mL sparkling beverages will be sold in bottles made from 100% recycled plastic* in Canada.

The Coca-Cola Company announces that all 500mL bottles in its sparkling beverage portfolio will be made from 100% recycled plastic* by early 2024. (CNW Group/The Coca‑Cola Company)

"With this transition, no virgin PET plastic will be used for our sparkling 500mL bottles under normal circumstances going forward in Canada," said Kurt Ritter, Vice President & General Manager, Sustainability, Coca-Cola North America. "We hope that transitioning our 500mL sparkling portfolio to 100% recycled plastic will increase the amount of high-quality, food-grade, recycled plastic available in Canada and, ultimately, enable us to offer more of our brands in this sustainable format." 

The shift supports The Coca-Cola Company's World Without Waste goals to use at least 50% recycled content in its packaging by 2030, and to reduce the use of virgin plastic. It's projected to save 7.6 million pounds of new plastic in 2024 alone, as well as reduce nearly 7,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually which is the equivalent of taking nearly 1,500 cars off the road for one year. 

Bottles made with 100% recycled plastic* create and sustain a circular economy for plastic packaging. Once the material (PET) is recycled, it is cleaned, sorted and ground into small flakes that become raw material for more new bottles. To build awareness and encourage consumers to continue recycling bottles, all 100% recycled plastic bottles* will feature "Recycle Me Again" messaging.

"We're proud to partner with The Coca-Cola Company on our transition to 100% recycled plastic bottles across Canada," said Todd Parsons, CEO of Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited. "We're on a journey to be the leading beverage partner in Canada, and one of the ways we're doing that is by earning our social license to operate by driving a circular economy for our packaging. Every one of these 100% recycled plastic bottles represents meaningful progress on that journey."

The new 100% recycled plastic bottles* will be produced locally at the Brampton, O.N., Calgary, A.B., Lachine, Q.C., and Richmond, B.C., manufacturing facilities, by Coke Canada Bottling. An independent, family-owned business, Coke Canada Bottling facilities from coast-to-coast are home to 6,000 diverse employees who proudly make, distribute, merchandise, and sell the most-loved beverages Canadians enjoy.

The Replay Arcade

Coca-Cola Canada is celebrating the launch—which follows last year's nationwide rollout of DASANI bottles made from 100% recycled plastic*—with a pop-up experiential activation in Toronto, Ontario called The Replay Arcade. 

Guests who bring in an empty plastic beverage bottle (all brands and sizes are welcome) to be recycled will receive 12 game tokens and a Coca-Cola beverage in a 100% recycled plastic bottle*. The Replay Arcade, located at Stackt Market at 28 Bathurst Street, will be open Nov. 10-12 from noon until 8 p.m. Entry is free and no tickets or reservations are needed.

*Excluding caps and labels

 About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company's purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We're constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people's lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-cola.ca.

SOURCE The Coca‑Cola Company

Rachel Hlinko, Weber Shandwick, [email protected]