Development of the PlantBottle program

After the recent announcement on the PlantBottle, the Coca-Cola Company starts the development of this project.

Cees van Dongen, a member of Coke’s global Environment, Health & Safety Council announced that in the U.S. about 30% of the bottles’ weight will be made from mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) derived from sugarcane and molasses; in Denmark the percentage of plant-derived MEG will be half that but those bottles will include 50% post-consumer recyclate (PCR). He said there is not enough PCR-PET available in the western U.S. for use in these bottles, as too much of the PET collected in that part of the U.S. is exported to Asia. MEG and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) are the building blocks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Ethanol derived from sugarcane will be fermented to create the bio-MEG, he explained. According to Coke, the Plant bottles will be the first beverage bottles that include content derived from renewable resources and can still be recycled in standard PET recycling streams. In the U.S. the company will start the project with its Dasani water brand; in Denmark other brands also will be packaged in these bottles.

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Preliminary results from an ongoing independent life cycle analysis (LCA) for the PlantBottles indicate these are more environmentally friendly than standard PET bottles, Dongen said. He allowed, though, that the PlantBottle would not be the best solution for the company in the long run as the bio-ethanol used must be sourced from Brazil. “That’s why we’re still looking at other bioplastic options,” he said, and specifically cited the bottler’s work on development of lignocellulosic feedstocks. Lignocellulose gives structure to many plants, including trees, grasses and others not part of the human food chain. Corn stover, switchgrass and wood chips already are being used to make bio-ethanol. The great advantage of this route to MEG would be the availability of raw materials; so far though the process is difficult and expensive.

The goal, Dongen said, is to develop feedstocks suitable for 100% bio-based PET. In a panel discussion later in the conference, he elaborated, saying, “We expect a big wave. We think commodity plastics will be substantially replaced by bioplastics.” In light of current bioplastics’ already rapid demand growth, he said, “The wave will increase in both height and speed” in the coming years.

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– Related posts / Billets à lire, en complément :

• A new Coca-Cola bottle made from plant-based materials

• Bioplastics made from liquid wood

• Green chemistry is on the rise – A point of view!

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