Big Beverage Companies To Urge Vietnam To Create Plastic Recycling Program

Amid growing global outrage over plastic waste in the planet’s oceans, beverage major Suntory Holdings announced collaboration with rivals Coca-Cola and Nestlé to encourage the Vietnam government to create a large-scale plastic recycling system. Japan has said it will discuss the problem at the G20 summit it is hosting this month. Suntory told Reuters it plans to switch out pure petroleum-based plastic bottles in all markets by 2030, using only recycled or plant-based materials at a cost of $467 million. Recycling plastic is a vexing problem in Southeast Asia, which lacks lacks sophisticated systems for collecting, sorting, and treating used plastic. Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said he wants his country to phase out single-use plastics by 2025 using unspecified “drastic measures.”

"Japan’s Suntory joins rival Coca-Cola to push Vietnam on plastic recycling", CNBC, June 25, 2019

Three Of Coca-Cola Europe’s Brands To Be Packaged In rPET Bottles By 2020

Coca-Cola Western Europe announced that three of its brands will be sold in 100 percent plastic (rPET) bottles in several markets on the continent beginning in 2020. According to the company, the adoption of the new bottles for the Honest, GLACÉAU Smartwater, and Chaudfontaine brands will save about 9,000 tons of virgin plastic a year across Western Europe. The company also said it will change the packaging for its Sprite brand from a green PET bottle to a clear PET pack, which it claims is easier to recycle. The changes are part of Coca-Cola’s pledge to ensure that at least half of the plastic used in its PET bottles across Western Europe will come from recycled sources by 2025.

"Three Coca-Cola brands to adopt 100 percent rPET bottles in Europe", FoodBev Media , June 18, 2019

Danone Waters NA Wins B Corp Certification As PBC

White Plains, N.Y.-based Danone Waters NA announced it has achieved B Corp Certification and is now a public benefit corporation (PBC). The certification indicates that the company has proven its commitment to meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, the company said. It plans to use the B Corp Certification and PBC status to engage business partners, stakeholders, and consumers in this “important movement." Danone is the U.S. and Canadian importer and distributor of Evian natural spring water, Badoit sparkling natural mineral water, and Volvicnatural spring water,

"Danone Waters Of America Becomes A Certified B Corporation And Announces Reincorporation As A Public Benefit Corporation", PR Newswire , June 12, 2019

Nestlé Waters Brand Valvert Introduces 100 Percent rPET Water Bottle In Europe

Nestlé Waters mineral water brand Valvert has introduced a new bottle in Belgium made entirely from recycled PET (rPET), a first for Nestlé in Europe. The innovation is a step toward meeting Nestlé's commitment to increase the rPET content in its water bottles to 35 percent globally by 2025. Only used bottles go into the making of the new bottle: no new virgin PET needs to be created. Valvert says it has secured a reliable supply of the high-quality, food grade rPET required for bottled water, allowing not only the launch of the 100 percent rPET bottle of 150 cl, but also a 50 percent rPET bottle of 50 cl. The goal is to have the 50 cl bottle also made entirely of rPET by the end of 2019.

"Valvert launches water bottle made of 100 percent recycled plastic, a first for Nestlé in Europe", Nestlé Waters, July 10, 2019

Brazil’s Ambev Brewing Company To Spend $36M On Solar Plant Construction

Brewing company Ambev SA is collaborating with four partners to create a “distributed generation” system in Brazil that includes construction of solar plants to supply clean energy to the brewer’s 94 distribution centers by the end of March 2020. The company will pay $36 million over 10 years to its partners, which in turn will spend about $13 million to build the 31 facilities. More than 50,000 solar panels generating 2,600 megawatt hours (MWh) a month will be built, saving 2,900 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Ambev, of which Belgian AB InBev owns 62 percent, operates in 16 countries in the Americas, including Argentina and Chile, where its breweries are powered by either wind farms or a mix of wind farms and solar plants.

"Brazilian Brewer Ambev Signs $36m Deal To Build Solar Plants", Hospitality Ireland, June 10, 2019