The explosion of plastic use in our society has led to incredible amounts of plastic litter in our landfills and oceans. And this is particularly troublesome because the World Wildlife Fund estimates it takes approximately 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose. 

This is why it is so heartening when a large corporation like Coca-Cola takes on the threat of plastic head-on. Ahead of the Milan Winter Olympics, a Coca-Cola factory in Biella is making plastic bottles using 100% recycled plastic. 

The plant was relaunched after a 30 million Euro investment in 2023. In addition to the recycled materials used to make the bottles, the company plans to use electric or biofuel-powered vehicles to distribute their products, as well as focus on waste sorting. The plant is capable of transforming up to 30,000 tons of used plastic into new 100% recycled bottles every year and will serve guests of the Olympic Games as well as the rest of the country. 

And this is not the only good news coming out of Coca-Cola on the environmental front. For instance, in Europe, the company began to sell bottles with the caps attached. This prevents a massive amount of waste that often ends up in our oceans, endangering animals. And the company has been a driving force behind an effort to clean up Canada’s Great Lakes. 

While this is all great news, it is important to remember that Coca-Cola is the biggest producer of plastic waste on the planet. And the company was involved in a lobbying effort to prevent changes in packaging laws in New York that would benefit the environment. 

Still, it is important to give credit where credit is due. And companies will likely only continue to do what’s right by the environment and use less plastic if consumers support their eco-friendly initiatives. It’s just important for people to distinguish between genuine efforts at harm reduction and greenwashing. 









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The leaders behind the Italian recycling project were excited about their accomplishments. 

“All of the Group’s production destined for the Italian market is distributed in 100% recycled plastic containers, including the Lurisia water line, for which we have accelerated the process of sustainable packaging transformation,” said Giangiacomo Pierini, head of institutional relations and head of sustainability for Coca-Cola HBC Italia.

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