A WORLD WITHOUT WASTE

We want to play our part in tackling the waste problem.

Food and beverage packaging is an important part of modern life, but it’s clear that the world has a packaging waste problem, and we have a responsibility to help solve it. That's why, we announced our World Without Waste vision, with ambitious goals around a central idea — to help facilitate the collection and recycling of a bottle or can for each one we sell by 2030. We will do this by supporting a well-designed DRS scheme, and by designing our products to make them easier to recycle.

World Without Waste is our global sustainable packaging ambition, focusing on how our bottles and cans are designed and made, to how they are recycled and repurposed.

We share the goal of eliminating packaging waste from the environment and ocean, and we are prepared to do our part. Food and drinks packaging is a significant part of this worldwide problem. By investing in our packaging through our World Without Waste programme, we can help tackle this global challenge. You can find out more about our work here: Coca‑Cola Sustainability Initiatives | Coca‑Cola GB

Our global ambition

“Consumers around the world care about our planet. They want and expect companies like ours to be leaders and help make a litter-free world possible,” says James Quincey, president and CEO, The Coca‑Cola Company.

“Through our World Without Waste vision, we are investing in our packaging to help make the world’s packaging problem a thing of the past.”

"If something can be recycled, it should be recycled. So, we want to help people everywhere understand how to do their part.”  James Quincey, president and CEO of The Coca‑Cola Company said.

So, how will we reach this global ambition?

Because we work in local communities across the world, and in over 200 countries, we’re able to share best practices and help develop effective recycling methods in a wide range of communities. We want to make recycling easier and more accessible for everyone.

Our aim is to make all of our packaging 100% recyclable, but that is only part of the answer to the world’s packaging problem – we also have a responsibility to help people everywhere understand how they can do their part. We know that plastic, glass and aluminium should be reused and given a second or third life, and we want to help spread the message.

“We believe every package – regardless of where it comes from – has value and life beyond its initial use,” Quincey said. “If something can be recycled, it should be recycled. So we want to help people everywhere understand how to do their part.”

What are we doing in Great Britain? 

Closer to home, we’ve taken steps to make a meaningful difference. This includes investing in state-of-the-art recycling facilities, including the Lincolnshire-based Clean Tech plant, Europe’s largest plastic recycling facility.

Clean Tech are planning to expand their capacity and production capabilities as a result of our commitment to make sure that all our plastic bottles in Great Britain contain at least 50% recycled plastic this year. We also support the announcement that a deposit return scheme (DRS) will be implemented in October 2027; a move that will support our ambition to recycle every single can and bottle we put onto the market. To make sure DRS is a success, we must have truly interoperable schemes in place across England, Scotland and Wales. Having a common approach will ensure we have a best-in class system in place – and is the only way we will improve the circular economy and cut litter.

But, we know there’s a lot more to do. Reducing and preventing litter and boosting recycling of our packaging are two of our biggest goals and responsibilities. We know that we have a long way to go, but we’re determined to do our part to help find solutions which really help protect our world for generations to come.

How are we encouraging recycling and litter reduction across Great Britain?”

invest in – which we believe will encourage recycling and litter reduction:

• We’re developing and refining our packaging so that not only is it all 100% recyclable, but it’s lighter and uses less plastic than ever before. You can find out more about our packaging developments, here: Sustainable Packaging (coca-cola.com)
• We’re reducing the use of coloured rPET in our packaging, to make our bottles easier to recycle. We’ve turned Sprite from green to clear, alongside other bottles across our portfolio. You can find out more about Sprite’s transformation, here: Sprite unveils a new 'irresistible' taste and striking new look (coca-cola.com)
• We’re investing in Research and Development to improve the design and reduce the amount of packaging we use. This includes ‘lightweighting’ bottles, improving secondary packaging and exploring new, environmentally friendly materials.
• Doing research into different ways of delivering our drinks, such as with refillable packaging and dispensed systems.
• Supporting recycling programmes and infrastructure to better recover our bottles and cans for reuse.
• Partnerships that protect and clean up our seas and waterways. For example, our projects with WWF and the Rivers Trust.
• Working or have worked with organisations such as WWF, Ocean Conservancy and The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, on initiatives such as the New Plastics Economy.
• Sponsoring clean-ups, such as the International Coastal Cleanup, the largest single-day volunteer event that helps clean the world’s waterways.
• We’re also working with many of our partners, suppliers and NGOs to help make recycling easier for everyone.   
  

Check out our 2020 World Without Waste Report