Coca-Cola Beverages SA launches new 2L returnable PET bottles in Limpopo
The launch of the returnable PET plastic bottle is another way to support a circular economy in South Africa, says Velaphi Ratshefola, Managing Director of CCBSA
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is extending the roll out of its new 2L returnable PET bottle to Northern Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, offering consumers value for money, while including them as an important part of the recycling value chain.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) is a general-purpose thermoplastic polymer. This can be converted to fibers, fabrics, sheets for packaging and manufacturing automotive parts.When recycled, PET plastic bottles can be turned into many new and useful products, like fibrefill for duvets and pillows, PET trays for fruit, geotextiles, and even brand new bottles.
These returnable bottles are made from durable material which can later be recycled and used in the manufacturing of new bottles. Through the returnable bottle system, these PET bottles can be reused a number of times, until the end of their re-useable lifecycle.
“After launching these bottles in the Eastern Cape, the consumer response was so positive that we are now rolling them out in Northern Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. These returnable PET bottles are how we are investing in innovative and more sustainable packaging to support The Coca-Cola Company’s global commitments to address the world’s waste problem,” says Velaphi Ratshefola, Managing Director of CCBSA.
The recommended retail price for the 2L Coca-Cola Original Taste – Less Sugar beverage is R15, which excludes a R9 deposit. Other brands, like Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite and Fanta, are also be available in the new 2L returnable PET plastic bottle at a recommended retail price of R12, excluding the R9 deposit.
The returnable PET is part of The Coca-Cola Company’s World Without Waste vision that aims to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle and can it sells globally by 2030. This vision looks at the entire packaging value chain – from how bottles and cans are designed and made, to how they’re collected, recycled and re-used again later.
“We’re committed to increasing recycled material in our packaging and ensuring more packaging is collected and recycled. The launch of the Returnable PET plastic bottle is another way we support a circular economy in South Africa,” says Ratshefola
The returnable bottles are made of PET plastic and are labelled with a new paper label, with ‘RETURNABLE’ appearing in green on the front of the bottle.
Once a bottle is returned to Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, it will go on a looped journey to be cleaned to Coca-Cola’s stringent measures and requirements, then refilled to start its next lifecycle. After each bottle reaches the end of its useable lifecycle, it joins the recycling value chain and is repurposed to become another PET product. According to the PET Recycling Company (PETCO), 62% of PET bottles were collected after use and recycled in South Africa last year.
The Coca-Cola system in South Africa currently uses an average of 8% recycled content in its bottles in South Africa and the more bottles are collected and recycled, the more recycled content the company can use in its bottles.
