Coca-Cola India has expanded its 100% recycled PET bottles for its packaged drinking water brand Kinley, launching the bottles in pack sizes of 250 milliliters and 750 milliliters for Coca-Cola.
The recycled bottles are manufactured by Coca-Cola’s bottling partners Moon Beverages, and SLMG Beverages. They are made from 100% food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET), except for the caps and labels. The recycled plastic is approved by the U.S. FDA and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for food-grade recycled material and repurposed into new PET bottles.
"PET plastic bottles have value beyond their first life,” Sanjeev Agarwal, chairman, Moon Beverages (part of MMG Group), said in a statement. “Our new bottles made with food-grade rPET are recyclable and can become another bottle giving it another life. Recycled PET is a big move in the right direction to embrace plastic circularity in India."
The company said it was the first to launch a one-litre bottle made from 100% recycled PET. Coca-Cola now offers the recycled bottles in more than 40 markers. The iconic brand also has a goal, dubbed World Without Waste, to meet 50% of recycled content by 2030.
In addition, Coca-Cola is aiming to collect and recycle the equivalent of a bottle or can for every one the company sells globally by 2030. Plus, it wants to make 100% of its packaging recyclable by 2025.
"We produced the first bottle of Coca-Cola in India and are proud to be amongst the first bottlers to produce the rPET variant,” said Paritosh Ladhani, managing director, SLMG Beverages. “We are committed to sustainability and SLMG is enthused to drive meaningful change and build a sustainable future."
The use of recycled PET in food packaging was approved by the Food Safety Authority of India. Other agencies, including the Government of India's, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Bureau of Indian Standards, have facilitated the use of recycled plastics in food and beverage packaging. The actions in India follow the Coca-Cola Bangladesh launch of 100% rPET bottles in December 2022 -- making it the first market in Southwest Asia to introduce Kinley water bottles in one-liter packages.
Coca-Cola also has a “Return and Recycle” initiative with Zepto that gathers bottles directly from consumers.
“We seek to drive a circular economy for our packaging in order to reduce waste and carbon emissions,” Enrique Ackermann, vice president, technical and innovation, Coca-Cola India, and Southwest Asia, said in a statement. “We're working to increase recycled content in our packaging, expand our use of refillable bottles, and to collect packaging for recycling through our World Without Waste initiative. We also do research for new solutions for packaging. This expansion by Moon Beverages and SLMG Beverages underscores Coca-Cola India's steadfast commitment to sustainability and its dedication to forging a more sustainable future."
