Beverage companies launch ‘Every Bottle Back’ initiative.

As concerns grow over the amount of plastics ending up in oceans and landfills, America’s top beverage companies – The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo – announced the launch of the Every Bottle Back initiative.Beverage companies launch ‘Every Bottle Back’ initiative. As concerns grow over the amount of plastics ending up in oceans and landfills, America’s top beverage companies – The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo – announced the launch of the Every Bottle Back initiative. The effort involves measuring industry progress in reducing the use of new plastics in the U.S., creation of a new $100 million industry fund to improve sorting, processing and collection to gather more recycled plastic bottles, and a new public awareness campaign to help consumers understand the value of 100% recyclable bottles. “Our industry recognizes the serious need to reduce new plastic in our environment, and we want to do our part to lead with innovative solutions,” said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association (ABA). “Our bottles are designed to be remade, and that is why this program is so important. We are excited to partner with the leading environmental and recycling organizations to build a circular system for the production, use, recovery and remaking of our bottles. Every Bottle Back will ensure that our plastic bottles are recovered after use and remade into new bottles, so we can reduce the amount of new plastic used to bring our beverages to market. This is an important step for our industry, and it builds on our ongoing commitment to protecting the environment for generations to come.” The industry is partnering with The World Wildlife Fund to provide strategic scientific advice to help measure the industry’s progress in reducing its plastic footprint. The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners will assist in deploying funds for the initiative. “Reaching our goal of “No Plastic in Nature” by 2030 will only happen if business, governments and the NGO community work together to fix a broken plastic material system,” said Sheila Bonini, senior vice president of private sector engagement at WWF.