(CMR) Coca-Cola is expected to start selling drinks in paper bottles this summer in its bid to eliminate plastic from its packaging entirely.
The sale of the new bottle types will be done through a limited online trial in Hungary with 2,000 bottles of the plant-based beverage AdeZ.
The company’s Brussels-based research and development team is working with Danish startup The Paper Bottle Company on this project, with an ultimate goal for bottles that can be recycled as paper.
The prototype is made from an extra-strong paper shell that still contains a thin plastic liner. The company's goal is to create a 100% recyclable, plastic-free bottle capable of preventing gas from escaping the carbonated drinks.
The barrier must also ensure no fibers flake off into the liquid as this could pose a risk of altering the taste of the drink or affecting health and safety standards.
“The trial we are announcing today is a milestone for us in our quest to develop a paper bottle. People expect Coca‑Cola to develop and bring to market new, innovative and sustainable types of packaging. That’s why we are partnering with experts like Paboco, experimenting openly and conducting this first in-market trial,” said Daniela Zahariea, director of technical supply chain and innovation, Coca‑Cola Europe.
Coca-Cola, which was ranked the world's number one plastic polluter by charity Break Free From Plastic, has set a goal of producing zero waste by 2030.
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