Dasani and Odwalla launch nationally in PlantBottle
Dasani PET bottle boasts 30% plant material, while Odwalla’s new HDPE package is the first 100% plant-based bottle that is also fully recyclable.
Just in time for Earth Month, The Coca-Cola Co. has announced that all of its Dasani brand water bottles nationwide and Odwalla single-serving juice bottles will be available exclusively in PlantBottle® packaging. The single-serve Odwalla packages are made from up to 100% plant-based materials with high-density polyethylene plastic, while PET bottles for Dasani are made with up to 30% plant-based materials.
According to Coca-Cola, billions of PlantBottle packages that will reach store shelves this year. In 2010, more than 2.5 billion PlantBottle packages were available across nine countries. For 2011, that number is expected to double to more than 5 billion PlantBottle packages in more than 15 countries.
“It’s our goal to make traditional plastic bottles a thing of the past and ensure that every beverage we produce is available in 100 percent plant-based, fully recyclable packaging,” says Scott Vitters, general manager, PlantBottle Packaging Platform, The Coca-Cola Company. “The national launch of Dasani PlantBottle packaging represents an important step toward reducing our carbon footprint, and the up to 100 percent plant-based, recyclable packaging used for Odwalla is the first of its kind in the beverage industry.”
Traditional PET bottles are made from petroleum and other nonrenewable fossil fuels. Incorporating a blend of petroleum-based materials with up to 30% plant-based materials allows PlantBottle packaging for Dasani to reduce potential intrinsic carbon dioxide emissions when compared with PET plastic bottles.
“Dasani is designed to make a difference by offering a better designed package for a more sustainable future,” says John Roddey, vice president and general manager, Water, Tea and Coffee, Coca-Cola North America. “Because Dasani PlantBottle packaging is up to 30 percent made from plants and still 100 percent recyclable, it was designed with the planet in mind by helping to reduce the impact of our packaging on the environment.”
Odwalla is first with 100% plant-based HDPE
PlantBottle packaging used for Odwalla is made of HDPE plastic created using only ethylene derived from 100-percent renewable sugarcane-based ethanol. Odwalla is the first nationally distributed beverage brand to transition its packaging to fully recyclable, HDPE plastic made from 100% plant-based materials.
“The launch of PlantBottle packaging for Odwalla represents a significant step in our brand’s ongoing efforts to protect our planet,” says Odwalla president Alison Lewis. “Since its inception, Odwalla has maintained a very simple vision: make great juice, do good things for the community, and build a business with a heart.”
The plant-based materials for both Dasani and Odwalla PlantBottle packaging are produced through a process that turns sugarcane into a key component for PET and HDPE plastic. Currently, PlantBottle packaging is made using sugarcane ethanol from Brazil, the only source widely recognized globally for its unique environmental and social performance, according to Coca-Cola. Brazilian sugarcane is primarily rain-fed and industrially grown on abundant, arable land using organic fertilizers. The plantations from which PlantBottle materials are sourced are located far away from Amazon rain forests, and their impact on biodiversity is reduced thanks to advanced farming practices and sound public policy.
Notes Coca-Cola, unlike other plant-based plastics, PlantBottle packaging is entirely recyclable and can be processed through existing systems. This ensures PlantBottle packaging can be repeatedly used, recycled, and reused. In addition, there are no differences in shelf life, weight, composition, or appearance between traditional PET plastic bottles and PlantBottle plastic bottles.
In late 2009, PlantBottle packaging was launched in the western U.S. and eight other markets around the world. To date, PlantBottle packaging is estimated to have eliminated the equivalent of 30,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or 3 million gallons of gasoline used to produce PET plastic bottles. Currently, Coca-Cola is working to further technology so other plant materials can be used in future PlantBottle packaging. The ultimate long-term goal is to turn waste into a resource, resulting in a carbon-neutral, 100%-renewable, responsibly sourced bottle that is fully recyclable.
“Several approaches to a PET package made entirely from plants have been successfully demonstrated in laboratory testing. We’re working to advance this breakthrough science to ensure it is commercially viable,” says Vitters. “PlantBottle packaging means only good things for everybody. We welcome others in the industry joining us in advancing the science behind packaging made from plants.”
The national rollout of PlantBottle packaging for Dasani will be supported by a national television spot breaking in April. Additional executions will include enhanced packaging graphics, as well as out-of-home, print, digital, and point-of sale-advertising to build awareness for PlantBottle packaging. Odwalla’s marketing program includes coupons, print advertising, and digital programs. New labeling point-of-sale materials for in-store displays will feature attention-grabbing messages such as “Paper or Plastic? Try Plant!”
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I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend, but I still don't think this is the right direction in sustainable packaging. Using sugar based ethanol isn't good, its bad! Sugar prices have recently hit 30 year highs, and the forecast for sugar is that it will remain high well into next year at least. Keeping sugar prices high will keep corn based ethanol in higher demand, thus increasing the demand for corn for ethanol. And where are corn prices? VERY HIGH! And what happens is that higher corn prices pull soybean and wheat with it. All of these points result in higher food prices globally.
Instead of using 30% plant based resin in Dasani, why not reduce packaging weight by 30%? And the HDPE Odwalla bottle, from what I read here, isn't recyclable at all? Is this packaging going to start contaminating the recycle stream for HDPE???
Thomas:
I think you're right to a certain extent. Firstly, I believe the article indicates that the Odwalla bottle is fully recyclable using the current waste streams - do you have any information refuting that?
Secondly, you are right that this is not the ultimate solution for all packaging and certainly has helpd to put pressure on food prices. That being said, have you seen the price of oil recently?! It would seem that having a plant based alternative to oil is a good thing as it may help to reduce the price of oil over the long term and that will help bring food prices back down.
Again, having said that, I'm not convinced that plant based materials currently save that much oil as it takes a lot of fuel to grow and harvest the current plants. But, we have to stat somewhere to show what is possible and give the financial incentive to the companies and people who will make the next big breakthrough.
I remember a few years ago farmers lamenting the fact that food prices were at historic lows and many were being driven off their farms as they could make a living. I don't see that smae problem at the moment, so either prices are high or they are about where they should be. It seems to be pretty difficult to make everyone happy, but let's keep trying.
In regards to the feedback I received from "Anonymous", first thank you for taking the time to engage.
You ask about information I have to refute the claim that the Odwalla bottle is 100% recyclable. Their has been plenty of debate on this, whether a bioresin can be recycled with traditional resins. Here are a couple of sources I have:
What the second tells me, and I am reading between the lines, is that bioplastic will contaminate traditional resin recycling and require sorting to a different recycle stream.
My overall concern, outside of recyclability, is that taking precious acres and diverting from food supply to packaging supply is not socially responsible. 11% of the land on this planet is farmland for food supply of over SIX billion people! This year in the United States, 40% of the corn crop is going toward Ethanol! It's no surprise that just this week, corn reached a 30 month high and is closing in on the all-time high! The Odwalla package uses sugar based ethanol, and sugar costs are near 30 year highs! Again, while sugar and corn based ethanols may be "greener" than oil, the repercutions related to global food supply cannot be understated! And it isn't just sugar and corn that are impacted, Wheat and Soybeans are dramatically impacted as well. Wheat is increased by almost 100% in the past year! Soybeans are rather high as well! Corn, Wheat and Oil have dramatic impacts on most food items! As a result of high food prices, more people on this Earth will starve simply because they cannot afford to eat.
So while bioplastics seem like a "responsible" alternative to traditional resins, I don't believe they are. The questions related to recyclability, the impact of food costs in my opinion more than offset any benefit. Traditional resins that can be recycled (very important), coupled with lightweighting is a much more responsible approach.
Thomas, I can't refute the arguement about food prices. But lightweighting can't go much further. Water bottles are almost to the point where you can squeeze the top off without even unthreading it. We will soon be making bottles from film if lightweighting goes much further.
As for HDPE recyclability,
"PlantBottle packaging used for Odwalla is made of HDPE plastic created using only ethylene derived from 100-percent renewable sugarcane-based ethanol. Odwalla is the first nationally distributed beverage brand to transition its packaging to fully recyclable, HDPE plastic made from 100% plant-based materials. "
It is true that older bioplastics are not recyclable but from what I understand, Coke has made some significant progress in the engineering of plant bottle plastic.
an interesting discussion, gentleman... regardless of the actual progress, I think it's great that there's an industry effort at all
While I wonder how far lightweighting can go, I have to think their is room. This may be accomplished by ridges, resin blends? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't rule out lightweighting.
Second and a broader discussion topics could be:
1. Stronger laws related to recycling
2. Bottle deposit laws. Where they have been re-introduced their has been a marked increase in recovery/recycling
3. The reduction or elimination of single serve bottled water. I may sound old here, but as a child and teenager, I never saw water bottles marketed and sold such as they are now. Some local and state municipalities are or are considering elimination of single serve water bottles. I just wonder when we are going to truly put the long term concern of the environment into a priority.
Related to any strides made by Coke in the HDPE, I truly don't know the extent of improvements they have made in the area of bioresin recycling. I do applaud Coke for their efforts in recycling and their PET recovery facility. I just have a fundamental problem with diverting food for packaging!
I have made a lot of research about bio-material and plant-based material. Indeed, like you say, bio-plastic is not recyclable, because this is not the same plastic than petroleum-based plastic. But the new plant-based plastics are made from ethanol of the plant which replace the ethanol outcome from petroleum (it's the same one or nearly), and so it recyclable like and with the petroleum-based plastics. However, I'm agree with you that it's a problem to use food raw material for make bottle in place of food, and I think that we have to found a solution to use (food) waste to produce this plant-base bottle...
so is coca cola being honest about all this or is it plain marketing?
So is food waste turned into ethanol the answer? Can the corn husks, stems etc be used to make the raw materials needed to make a "plastic" bottle?
Or, can we look at this another way - if the problem is that using food to make fuel drives up food prices, then one solution may be to make food cheaper.
Thomas points to a statistic of 11% of land currently being used for food production. OK, so how do we use less land for food? Cities help to jam more people into a smaller space by building up not out. Why not grow food in a high rise? Seems to me this would solve a couple of problems including the use of fuel to get the food to market - build them in close proximity to population centers. Surely much of the technology needed to do this already exists. Something practical must have come from the Biosphere experiments.
Allison, sustainability in packaging has taken on so many forms, so many directions, I honestly don't think that any organization is blatantly lying about the sustainable benefits. Additionally, I can't dispute their claims that "packaging is estimated to have eliminated the equivalent of 30,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or 3 million gallons of gasoline used to produce PET plastic bottles". I would ask the question related to the data, is this net data or gross data? Example, are their additional transportation costs associated with moving materials that one would normally not have, and if so, is that data accounted for? Also additional energy costs to incorporate these materials?
Outside of that, I just find the principle of diverting food supply, and this INCLUDES ETHANOL, to alternative uses.
We commend Cokes direction using using renewable alternatives to replace traditional plastic resins.
We are tryng to help the packaging producers and users go in this direction by bringing a new annually renewable resource that replaces plastic resin to plastics industry for the first time.
A material that because of the way it is produced doesn't effect the supply or cost similar to the feedstock used for many of the bio-based resins.
Information concerning this new material can be found at www.usaragonite.com.
Let's be blunt and honest here: If Coca Cola as a company truly wanted to make a difference in environmental leadership and responsibility they would do away with bottling our tap water altogether except for use in natural disasters and emergency situations. It is quite obvious that what it comes down to is profit. Enough said. Not to mention they haven't changed the bottling for their sodas at all...don't you find that interesting? It's a marketing ploy for the "health-conscious bottled water drinkers", which is an anomaly in itself.
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