ALL BOTTLES 500ML OR LESS IN GREAT BRITAIN ARE NOW MADE FROM 100% RECYCLED PLASTIC

Brands including Coca‑Cola Original Taste, Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper are now more sustainable than ever thanks to the milestone move.

At Coca‑Cola Great Britain, we are committed to achieving 100% recycled or renewable plastic in all of our bottles, as part of our ambition to make our packaging as sustainable as possible.

We’re making great progress on this journey, and now we’re very excited to reveal that all our plastic bottles of 500ml or less appearing on store shelves in Great Britain are made with 100% recycled plastic. This milestone means that we have increased the amount of recycled plastic in our smaller bottles from 50% to 100%.

Not only that, but by using 100% recycled materials to make our bottles we are saving 29,000 tonnes of virgin plastic – the equivalent of 2,292 double decker buses!

“It takes 75% less energy to make a plastic bottle from recycled plastic,” said Helen Bird, Strategic Technical Manager at WRAP. “It’s positive to see Coke, founding members of The UK Plastics Pact, continuing to push the boundaries on design and engaging with its customers to place the bottles in the recycling.”

As well as being made with 100% recycled plastic, our bottles continue to be fully recyclable, which has been the case for many years. One of our biggest challenges remains ensuring that our customers do their bit and recycle our packaging after it’s been used.

To make it easier to recycle our plastic bottles, we have launched new campaigns through our brands – encouraging more people to recycle – and working closely with the Scottish and Westminster governments and other partners on a well-designed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). We hope that this scheme will inspire and encourage people to increase their recycling.

Rebecca Pow, Environment Minister, commented on the launch of the scheme: “We are committed to crack down on plastic pollution through our landmark reforms such as a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and making manufacturers more responsible for their packaging. Bold measures of this nature from industry will play a huge role in helping us to achieve this ambition.”

This is another significant step on our journey to a World Without Waste. Find out more about our global sustainability vision here.