The drinks firm has set out an ambition, as part of its sustainable packaging strategy, to work with local and national partners to recover all its packaging so that more is recycled and none ends up as litter.
CCEP plans to use 50% recycled PET in all its plastic bottles by 2020 and this will be achieved through a partnership with Clean Tech UK, a subsidiary of Plastipak Europe, which will supply the recycled material from its reprocessing plant in Hemswell, Lincolnshire.
The plant was acquired by Plastipak Europe in 2016 and has been supplying recycled PET to CCEP for five years. The two businesses were able to share with the minister their ideas for increasing the amount of plastic bottles recycled in Great Britain.
Coffey said: “It is really encouraging to see Coca-Cola embracing sustainable packaging options to help reduce waste, make better use of resources and encourage more people to recycle and cut littering. I hope more companies will follow suit with steps to make their products more sustainable.”
Julian Hunt, vice president public affairs, communications & sustainability at CCEP, added: “Our desire to double the amount of recycled material we use in our plastic bottles sends a clear signal that we want to play a positive role in supporting the circular economy here in Great Britain. Our ambition – and our ability to go further in the future – will require reform of the packaging collection system in Great Britain and we will work with others to champion the changes that are required to ensure all our valuable materials are recovered.”
