Coke boss gives packaging sustainability advice

In this exclusive video interview, Brown explained CCEP’s decision use more recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in all of its plastic bottles and other sustainability improvements.

“I think organisations need to have a look at the specific packaging they use. Do they know how it’s used through the supply chain, how it’s recovered and understand how it gets reused, or if it can be reused?” ​asked Brown.

‘More sustainable packaging solutions’​

“There are a lot of different options out there for how packaging is designed and recovered. And there are some innovative partnerships out there that can work to help to develop more sustainable packaging solutions.”​

Brown also said that collaboration between food and drink businesses increased the amount of reusable packaging that was recycled in the UK and reduced the amount that was exported.

“We are a local GB business and we want to make sure that packaging recovered here is recycled here for reuse here,” ​added Brown.

Last week, CCEP revealed plans to double the amount of rPET in its plastic bottles from 25% to 50%.​

Recover all its packaging​

CCEP also aimed to work with local and national partners to recover all its packaging so that more was recycled and none ended up as litter.

Speaking last week (July 12), vice president and general manager Leendert den Hollander said: “We have focused on the actions we can take as a business – such as our ability to communicate to consumers on the importance of recycling – as well as the areas where we want to work in close collaboration with others to reduce litter and increase the recovery and recycling of plastic bottles.”​

Meanwhile, CCEP has reused more than 50,000t of plastic from about 2bn bottles​ for its portfolio of products sold in Britain in the past five years – since it began its partnership with recycling firm Clean Tech UK.