Soda giant Coca-Cola is testing a new change to its packaging. The change, which is being piloted in Europe, is part of the company’s efforts toward sustainability and protecting the environment from plastics.
The test is taking place in Europe first. According to the Economic Times, Coca-Cola HBC Austria “is testing a new packaging strategy for Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, and Mezzo Mix brands” in Austria. The new strategy would get rid of plastic shrink wrap and replace it with “a recyclable corrugated-paper handle for soft drink multipacks.” A similar test is taking place in Germany.
The Change Would Remove a Lot of Plastic From the Environment Every Year
(Photo by Matteo Della Torre/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
According to the Economic Times, the news design, which was created with DS Smith and Krones, “is expected to remove around 200 tons of plastic from circulation each year.”
The Economic Times called the new handles “paper-based bottle carriers.”Packaging Europe also reported that the change is being tested in Germany.
The company is trying to make its packaging more recyclable, according to Packaging Europe, and it’s testing “the feasibility, acceptance by consumers and the performance of our packaging.”
Which Coca-Cola Brand Sodas Will Get the Paper Bottle Carriers?
According to Packaging Europe, the company is trying out the paper-based bottle carriers on only some of its branded sodas. Specifically, the test is “for Coca-Cola Original and Coca-Cola Zero in the 6×1.25 litre format,” the site wrote.
Coca-Cola has tried to create paper packaging that will work on shelves, and when carrying the bottles home, Packaging Europe noted. “The adhesive dots are strategically placed to hold the bottles together, while a sturdy, recyclable cardboard handle aims to make it easier to carry the multi-packs – with the ultimate goal of offering the same functionality with less plastic and packaging waste,” Packaging Europe added.
“The packaging has been designed for stability and portability,” the site claimed. It even has a name: “The Lift Up Handle.”
Environmental Activists Have Put Pressure on Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola has faced pressure from environmental activists concerned about the amount of plastic the company puts into the environment.
“On World Environment Day, Greenpeace Africa activists staged a demonstration outside Coca-Cola’s corporate offices in Rosebank, Johannesburg, with a striking 3-meter by 3-meter glass bottle cap installation and activists wearing elaborate costumes constructed from plastic waste. The action highlighted Coca-Cola’s status as the world’s number one plastic polluter for six consecutive years,” Greenpeace Africa wrote in a statement.
“The visual spectacle included activists displaying banners reading ‘Cap it Coke’ and ‘it tastes better in glass’ as a demonstration for Coca-Cola to return to its iconic glass bottle packaging. The centrepiece was a towering glass bottle cap prop, symbolising the transition from single-use plastic bottles back to refillable glass alternatives that Coca-Cola once championed,” Greenpeace Africa wrote.
Hellen Kahaso Dena, Project Lead, Pan-African Plastics Project for Greenpeace Africa said in the release: “If Coca-Cola is really serious about solving the plastic and climate crisis, it needs to stop its greenwashing, cap its plastic production and invest in refill and reuse. Ending Coca-Cola’s addiction to single-use plastic is an important step in moving away from fossil fuels, protecting communities in Africa, and combating the climate crisis.”
