Coca-Cola announces plan to recycle 100 percent of its packaging by 2030

Jan. 19 (UPI) — Coca-Cola announced on Friday a new recycling initiative that will collect and reuse 100 percent of its packaging by 2030.

The world’s largest total beverage company intends to back a World Without Waste with a multi-year investment to implement their new recycling goal.

“The world has a packaging problem – and, like all companies, we have a responsibility to help solve it,” James Quincey, President and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, said. “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.”

Coca-Cola said in their announcement that for every bottle or can the Coca-Cola system sells globally, they will take one back to be recycled.

The soda company also plans to work towards making its packaging 100 percent recyclable worldwide, with plans to make bottles with 50 percent recycled content by 2030.

This comes after nonprofit organizations and environmental advocacy groups, including Greenpeace, criticized the soda brand for creating plastic bottles that end up being dumped in landfills or in bodies water.

Coca-Cola says the latest recycling initiative is one of the steps in their ongoing sustainability efforts. The company says it is building off of its success in replenishing an estimated 100 percent of the water it uses in its final beverages — finishing its water replenishment goal five years ahead of expectations.

The company will work in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative, The Ocean Conservancy/Trash Free Seas Alliance and the World Wildlife Fund.

“Bottles and cans shouldn’t harm our planet, and a litter-free world is possible,” Quincey said. “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.”

Earlier this week, McDonalds announced that they planned on producing packaging from renewable, recycled or certified sources to be available in all restaurants by 2025.