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From the beginning of next year, all Cola, Fanta and Sprite bottles on Norwegian store shelves will be made from 100% recycled plastic.
The transition to 100 percent will save the production of 4,300 tons of plastic per year and reduce climate emissions by 25 percent.
Tatan Syuflana / TT NEWS AGENCY
Published:
– The decision has been made, so we are now working towards a transition in the second quarter of next year, says Per Hynne, director of communications for Coca-Cola European Partners Norway.
Today, the bottles consist of 25 percent recycled material. The transition to 100 percent will save the production of 4,300 tons of virgin plastic per year and reduce climate emissions by 28 percent, according to the company itself.
Virgin plastic is the opposite of recycled plastic, that is, plastic made from oil.
Per Hynne, Coca-Cola Communications Director
Private
– This is what worries our clients. Consumers are increasingly concerned about making the right choices, and then we must help facilitate that, Hynne says.
Norway and tet
Coca-Cola has previously announced that all of Western Europe will switch to 100 percent recycled bottles. Sweden was only earlier this year, while Norway and the Netherlands are now taking the plunge at around the same time.
– We are among the first because we have the right conditions. We have a well-developed deposit system and a consumer who is good at using it, says Hynne.
More than 95 percent of soft drink bottles are collected in Norway.
– We are warehouse world champions, but we have used very little of what we collect. Now we show what can be achieved with this good system, says the communications director.
Not free
– It costs a little more. But our ambitions are so great that we decided to stick with that diet, Hynne says.
Despite the higher cost of producing plastic bottles, Coca-Cola Norway believes that consumers will be willing to pay for it.
– It’s an investment for the future, says Hynne.
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You want stronger incentives
Coca-Cola has previously called for changes to the basic tax on disposable plastic containers.
Instead of a flat base rate, the company, along with several other soda companies and mortgage company Infinitum, have wanted a rate that is graded by degree of fossil content.
Today NOK 1.23 per plastic bottle goes to the Treasury.
– We continue to think that the basic rate should be organized in another way. It’s a very small step on the part of the authorities that can ensure that we take the lead as a recycling nation, says Hynne.
The changes to the tax were considered in the state budgets for 2016 and 2018, but were rejected due to “limited incentives, uncertain environmental and climate effects, and increased bureaucracy.”
– We hope and believe that the investment we are making now shows that there is interest in this and that it is possible, says Hynne.
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Liability for plastic
Coca-Cola Norway also took an important step in bottle production in 2013. At that time, all production was transformed into “plant bottles”.
– It was a combination of bioplastics that reduced the proportion of virgin plastic by almost 50 percent, says Hynne.
– We have a broad and ambitious sustainability plan throughout our value chain. An important part of that is packaging, especially since we have a lot of plastic products. We have a great responsibility to handle plastic in the best possible way, says Hynne.
Therefore, earlier this year, Bonaqua’s Telemark, part of Coca-Cola Norway, switched to 100% recycled plastic.
– Now we take the rest of the wallet, says Hynne.
