PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is a strong, transparent, and incredibly versatile plastic. It stands out as the most frequently recycled plastic in the US, making it a favored material for beverage companies crafting their bottles – bottles specifically designed for 100% recyclability.
The desirability of recycled PET (rPET) is high. Opting for rPET over new plastic significantly lessens environmental impact. When rPET is used to create new bottles, energy use drops by as much as 79%, and greenhouse gas emissions decrease by up to 67%. Beyond new bottles, rPET is repurposed into a wide array of items, from warm winter coats and cozy rugs to durable playground sets and comfortable pet beds.
Even the respected Encyclopedia Britannica highlights PET’s unique value, noting, “PET is the most widely recycled plastic… PET can be recycled into its original uses…” This underscores its closed-loop potential and environmental advantages.
Leading beverage companies in America are actively striving to recover every bottle, aiming to minimize the reliance on new plastic and prevent bottles from polluting natural environments. Collaborations with prominent environmental and sustainability organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, The Recycling Partnership, and Closed Loop Partners are central to boosting the collection of plastic bottles for remanufacturing. This collective effort is crucial for reducing the plastic footprint and ensuring bottles are properly recycled rather than ending up in landfills or natural habitats. Progress in plastic footprint reduction is continuously monitored and tracked.
These initiatives have already yielded substantial results, including the distribution of almost 650,000 recycling bins in communities and upgrades to processing facilities for faster material handling. Educational resources are also being provided to improve recycling practices among residents, alongside advocating for updated collection policies to ensure plastic bottles are effectively recycled into new bottles.
Significant strides have been made, and the journey continues. Beverage companies are increasingly producing more bottles from 100% recycled plastic*, exemplified by the image below. Furthermore, the proportion of recycled plastic in beverage bottles more than doubled between 2018 and 2021, with recycled content now being a common component in the majority of beverage bottles.
To delve deeper, explore the video resources available.
For further information on the beverage industry’s Every Bottle Back initiative, please visit here.
*Excluding Caps & Labels
