The Coca-Cola Company reveals its 2030 recycling programme

The Coca-Cola Company has today announced that it is reshaping its approach to packaging, with a global goal to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2030.

This goal is the centrepiece of the company’s new packaging vision called World Without Waste, which Coca-Cola intends to back with a multi-year investment that includes ongoing work to make packaging 100% recyclable.

As part of the initiative, the beverage company said that by 2030 for every bottle or can it sells, it will help take one back so it has more than one life.

Coca-Cola said it will support collection of packaging across the industry – including bottles and cans from other companies – and “work with local communities, industry partners, our customers, and consumers to help address issues like packaging litter and marine debris”.

To achieve its collection goal, it hopes to make all of its packaging 100% recyclable globally. It will also make bottles with an average of 50% recycled content by 2030.

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said: “The world has a packaging problem – and like all companies we have a responsibility to help solve it. Through our World Without Waste vision, we are investing in our planet and our packaging to help make this problem a thing of the past.

“Bottles and cans shouldn’t harm our planet, and a litter-free world is possible. Companies like ours must be leaders. Consumers around the world care about our planet, and they want and expect companies to take action. That’s exactly what we’re going to do, and we invite others to join us on this critical journey.”

The announcement is the latest move by a food manufacturer in recent weeks to improve its green credentials. Yesterday Danone-owned Evian pledged to make all of its plastic bottles from 100% recycled plastic by 2025.

McDonald’s said it will aim to produce 100% of its packaging from sustainable sources by 2025.