Coca-Cola Great Britain said in a press release it would end the use of non-recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles by September 2021. The move will mean all 500 ml or smaller beverage bottles, including Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Dr Pepper and Lilt, will be made of 100% recycled PET and will be fully recyclable after the aforementioned deadline. Coca-Cola estimates that the transition will reduce the use of virgin plastics by 29,000 tons/year. Currently, Coca-Cola GB uses around 50% rPET in its smaller bottles.
However, the move came amid tightness in the supply of food-grade rPET pellets, market sources said. A spokesperson with Coca-Cola GB confirmed the challenges to secure a sufficient supply of locally available, high-quality, food-grade rPET. The UK will levy a tax of GBP200 ($277) per ton on all plastic packaging that does not include 30% recycled content by April 2022. In Europe, all plastic bottles need to be made of at least 25% of recycled materials by 2025.
