PepsiCo unveils 100% plant-derived PET bottle
In a potential game changer for packaging sustainability, PepsiCo has announced plans to roll out a plastic bottle made completely from agricultural waste. The company says it has developed a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle made from 100% plant sources, a significant advance on rival Coca Cola’s PlantBottle, which is made with 30% plant material. The key was formulating a replacement for petroleum for the terephthalate component of the resin, which constitutes 70% of the whole. The bottle will be indistinguishable from petroleum-derived PET and will be recyclable in the same waste stream with the same equipment, PepsiCo says. The bottle will initially be made with material derived from switchgrass and tree bark, but plans are to incorporate waste from PepsiCo’s food units, Frito-Lay and Quaker, eventually leading to a true closed loop. PepsiCo has not decided on a schedule for implementing the new bottle, although it says a pilot program will begin next year.
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