WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The first year of a breakthrough effort by America’s leading beverage companies to boost the recycling of plastic bottles saw the initiation of modernization projects in Texas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin that will help more than 349,000 households recycle nearly 38 million new pounds of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic over ten years for remaking into new bottles, the American Beverage Association (ABA) announced today.
The investments are the first three of nine initial projects that we have committed funding for under Every Bottle Back, a 10-year effort by The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) and PepsiCo to marshal the equivalent of nearly a half-billion dollars to reduce the beverage industry’s plastic footprint. The initiative will go toward the modernization of recycling infrastructure and to help educate consumers on the value of 100% recyclable plastic bottles in several regions of the USA.
This effort is backed by environmental and sustainability leaders World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which is helping measure the industry’s progress in reducing its plastic footprint, The Recycling Partnership, which is funding collection infrastructure to expand access and supporting consumer education so households can recycle better, and Closed Loop Partners, the leading investment firm focused on the development of the circular economy and recycling infrastructure in the United States. This landmark initiative in partnership with respected environmental groups builds on the latest commitments by the beverage industry to reduce our use of new plastic, such as support for the federal Recycle and Recover acts to bolster recycling education and improve recycling infrastructure, and the ABA’s joining of the U.S. Plastics Pact to work toward a circular economy for plastics.
“Despite new challenges recycling systems face as a result of the pandemic, the beverage industry is moving forward with our environmental partners and with community leaders on exciting projects to boost the collection of our 100% recyclable bottles and cans so they can be remade into new ones,” said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association. “Every Bottle Back is our commitment to reduce our plastic footprint and ensure our plastic bottles don’t end up as waste in oceans, rivers or landfills.”
Over the past year, Every Bottle Back has:
“This initiative is important for improving recycling programs across the United States, and The Recycling Partnership is honored to be a part of this work,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “Every Bottle Back’s efforts are helping make recycling more effective, accessible, and equitable, and we look forward to building on the progress of our continued partnership with the beverage industry.”
“Every Bottle Back showcases how strong partnerships can accelerate investment and progress toward a more circular future,” said Ron Gonen, CEO of Closed Loop Partners. “In partnership with the American Beverage Association and others, we are modernizing and optimizing recycling infrastructure in the United States, increasing access to local communities and keeping valuable materials in manufacturing supply chains and out of the natural environment.”
“After one full year of the Every Bottle Back initiative, it’s clear that when companies tackle challenges together, they have the power to make a difference,” said Sheila Bonini, senior vice president, private sector engagement at the World Wildlife Fund. “Our collaboration with the Every Bottle Back initiative, which pairs our expertise through ReSource: Plastic with the beverage industry’s commitment to improving PET recycling in the U.S., is a model for other industries to follow.”
The Every Bottle Back initiative complements other sustainability efforts underway by The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo that focus on designing for recyclability. These efforts are increasing the use of recycled materials and improving the collection and recycling of bottles and cans so they can be remade into new ones. In the coming years, Every Bottle Back and its partners will continue its regional investments and establish new partnerships to further its mission and protect the environment for generations to come.
Learn more about the Every Bottle Back initiative at www.EveryBottleBack.org.
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