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Coca-Cola Amatil has produced carbonated soft drink bottles made from 100% recycled plastic – a move that it describes as “a major step forward” for sustainability. All of Coca-Cola Amatil’s single-serve plastic bottles in Australia will now switch to the new fully recycled materials by the end of 2019. Earlier this year, the bottler announced that 70% of the plastic bottles it uses in Australia will be made from recycled plastic by 2020, reducing the amount of new plastic resin it uses by an estimated 10,000 tonnes each year. “We think every beverage container should be recycled and live again, not become waste in our marine and land environment,” said Alison Watkins, Coca-Cola Amatil managing director. “But pressure inside a soft drink bottle is up to 100 psi, or around three times the pressure in a car tyre. So the bottle for carbonated drinks needs to be much stronger than for still beverages, and that’s been an obstacle in using 100% recycled materials for these types of drinks. “I’m pleased to say we’ve overcome this challenge through innovation and design.” Watkins added that community and commercial pressure is driving a rapid take-up of recycled materials in bottling. In January, Coca-Cola Amatil revealed plans to stop distributing plastic drinking straws or stirrers in Australia and instead stock fully recyclable and biodegradable Forest Stewardship Council-accredited paper straws. The company is aiming for 100% of its packaging in Australia to be fully recyclable by 2025, including all bottles, cans, plastic wrap, straws, glass and cardboard. Earlier this month, Amatil said it is selling its SPC fruit and vegetable processing business in a deal worth AUD 40 million ($27.9 million). The unit is being bought by Shepparton Partners Collective, a joint venture between Sydney-based investment house Perma Funds Management and The Eights, a Sydney-based private equity firm.