Coca-Cola to introduce major change to its bottle lids: "No cap is left behind"
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Coca-Cola is well aware that the bottle caps that come with their soft drinks frequently end up as unnecessary plastic waste.
In a bid to reduce bottle-cap litter and promote recycling as well, the beverage company is launching attached caps across its entire drinks range.
Distribution of the updated plastic bottles that come with tethered caps got underway earlier this week in the UK.
The new bottles come with their caps already attached, a design that is intended to make it simpler to recycle the entire package at once and eliminate the need to throw away used lids.
According to the company, all plastic Coke, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, and Dr Pepper bottles will have attached tops by the beginning of 2024.
"This is a minor adjustment that we hope will have a huge impact, ensuring that no cap is left behind when consumers recycle our bottles," said Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola Great Britain, in a statement on Tuesday.
For the time being, the change only applies to bottles sold in the United Kingdom, although it's feasible that this will be extended to Australia as well.
The new Coke bottle cap will not come off. Credit: Coca-Cola.
Plastic waste is a huge environmental issue because it degrades into microplastics that end up in the air and seas, damaging marine life. They can also end up in our food or lungs, causing health problems.
When giant corporations like Coke's bottles or caps end up on beaches or in landfills, it creates a major public relations problem for them.
Because consumers can easily identify these plastic caps as Coca-Cola items, the brand's reputation may suffer. As a result, more businesses are taking initiatives to reduce unnecessary waste.
Aside from the threats to the planet and to their brand's reputation, companies also have to worry about the threat of government regulations.
For instance, the European Union requires that plastic bottles have lids attached to the body, as part of its directive against single-use plastics, giving companies by the end of 2024 to comply.
Coca-Cola plans to make its cans and bottles with 50 per cent recycled material by 2030. Credit: AAP.
Instead of focusing on recycling, a flawed solution, many environmentalists advocate for the adoption of reusable containers.
According to Graham Forbes, global plastics project lead at Greenpeace USA, Coca-Cola must focus on decreasing plastic by doubling its reuse and refill packaging target by at least 50 per cent before 2030.
What are your thoughts, folks? Do you think this would help decrease the amount of plastic waste in the environment, or is this just another 'bandaid solution' from the multibillion-dollar company?
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