Coca-Cola’s Approach to Sustainable Packaging

Innovative packaging for its beverages has been one way Coca-Cola has focused on sustainable packaging. But that is just one part of the story.

Sustainability in packaging requires a wide range of actions, including engaging consumers, policy advocacy through industry bodies, building supply chain partnerships, developing renewable technologies and more. Ultimately, it requires building a system in which many people, institutions and technologies work together to reduce, redesign, recover, recycle and reuse packaging.

Recover and recycle

Different kinds of beverages from Coca-Cola in India is offered to consumers in returnable glass bottles (RGBs), aluminum cans, pet bottles and tetra packs.

Nearly 50 per cent of our beverage sale takes place in RGBs which is completely recovered from the market except for breakages. 

Ligtweighting

Sustainable packaging requires the Company to “reduce, reuse and recycle.” One way we reduce is by improving the design of the packages, a process known as lightweighting. Through sustained efforts over the years, Coca-Cola has leveraged technological advancement to reduce the weight of the packaging of several of its products. 

Inspiring consumers

Coca-Cola works in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders including consumers, industry and governments and uses its brand marketing to encourage consumers to recycle more. Collaboration with authorities and non-government organisations for running campaigns at events and festivals to promote mass collection and recycling of plastic waste of not just our products but of any brand is another way in which the Company connects with consumers.

Coca-Cola is trying to innovate with its packaging, hoping to create more sustainable packaging techniques. The innovation is part of its goal of reducing the CO2 emissions associated with the “drink in your hand.”