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The Coca-Cola Company has announced a long term target to recycle or reuse 100% of the aluminium beverage cans it sells in the United States. This new objective builds on the company's previously announced goal to recycle or reuse 100% of its PET plastic bottles.

"We have made a commitment to ensure the sustainability - and recyclability - of our packaging," said Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas. "We envision a world in which our packaging is no longer seen as waste, but as a valuable resource for future use."

Aluminium beverage cans are among the most recycled consumer products in the US - one out of every two aluminium cans is recycled today. Recycling aluminium is highly efficient and requires 95% less energy than creating aluminium from raw materials. It also reduces carbon emissions by 95%. Coca-Cola currently uses an average 60% recycled aluminium in its beverage cans.

Coca-Cola also has continued to invest in recycling programmes and infrastructure. In 2007, it invested $60() million (€40 million) in a series of recycling initiatives, including support of RecycleBank's curbside collection program and the construction of the world's largest PET bottle to bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

In 2007, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler, formed Coca-Cola Recycling LLC (CCR) with a mission to recover and recycle the packaging materials developed and used by the Coca-Cola system. CCR plays a key role in the Company's aspiration to recycle and reuse 100 percent of its packaging. While the primary beverage container materials - aluminum and PET - have high value as recyclables, not enough are recovered to meet the increasing demand.

"We established Coca-Cola Recycling to help increase recycling rates in North America and to ensure that our system has ready access to recycled material," said John Burgess, president and chief operating officer, Coca-Cola Recycling. "By the end of 2008, Coca-Cola Recycling will recycle more than 100 million pounds each of PET and aluminium."

CCR has established centralised recycling centers at CCE's major production facilities across the country. It also has created innovative collection programs at colleges and universities, office buildings and retail centers, as well as major sporting events, music festivals and other large scale events to drive recycling behaviour among consumers.