Plastic Is Here To Stay
While the world is busy figuring out ways to stop using plastic, Coca-Cola has decided to embrace it instead. Rather than switching to aluminum cans, Coca-Cola is committing to collecting and recycling plastic bottles. It’s all part of the world’s largest soft drinks makers’ big plan on how it will reduce its carbon footprint.
It may seem like Coca-Cola is switching to aluminum since it’s now offering recyclable aluminum cans for some water brands, but that’s not the case. The new aluminum canned products are just a second option in addition to plastic bottles. The move is simply the industry’s reaction to public outrage over plastic waste polluting the world’s oceans. Coca-Cola is not the only company doing this either. It’s multinational rivals, PepsiCo and Nestle have also begun providing sparkling water in aluminum cans.
CEO James Quincey said that Coca-Cola’s launch of canned sparkling water in the United States is not part of a broader shift. He said:
We are not trying to engineer a strategic shift from plastic to aluminum.
The firm is “focused on collecting” and has reached a collection rate of about 59%, he added.
Tariffs Aside
Additionally, U.S. President Donald Trump’s import tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum will not affect Coca-Cola’s plan either.
Quincey said in regards to the impact of the tariffs:
It’s not so big that it’s going to make us change our strategy. Given the relative weight of aluminum in our total business, it hasn’t caused a big change in strategy – just a cost increase that fed through to the consumers.
A Bottle For A Bottle
In 2018, Coca-Cola pledged that by 2030, it would be collecting and recycling a bottle or can for every one it sells worldwide.
Since then, it has provided a variety of methods around the world for collecting bottles. For example, in some countries, the company has adopted deposit return schemes that allow customers to return bottles in exchange for incentives – either vouchers, cash, or a point-scheme. In other countries, the company is working with private firms that employ collection agents to retrieve used bottles.
Recycling Is Better Than Aluminum
Collecting and reusing plastic bottles is a “better long-term answer” than switching to cans. Quincey explained:
A recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle has a much lower carbon footprint than an aluminum can or a returned glass bottle.
Therefore, focusing the company planning power on how to perfect the recycling scheme instead of switching to another material (that they’ll still have to figure out how to recycle anyway), is the more sustainable option.
