Coca-Cola's New Bottle Design Makes A Major Change To The Classic Packaging

Coca-Cola is one of the most popular beverage makers in the world. Per Mfour, 51% of 200 U.S. soda drinkers polled said they prefer Coke over Pepsi when it comes to choosing between the two. Of course, the proof is in the number of bottles sold, and according to the Coca-Cola website, its products are sold in more than 200 countries with over 1.9 billion bottles, cans, and cups served up on any given day.

That's a lot of beverages. Especially when you consider that, per the Washington Post, most plastic winds up in landfills. Citing numbers from 2017, the news outlet explained that most people in the U.S. contribute about 100 plastic bottles to these garbage dumps and it's simply an unsustainable practice. Numbers like these have led the beverage company to re-examine and reimagine their products' packaging and impact on the environment. In 2018, Coca-Cola announced a goal of collecting and recycling what amounts to every bottle and can they sell by 2030. But realizing that there are other steps they can take in the interim, the soft drink makers announced they are making alterations to the way its bottles are produced by adding a new twist to its classic design. 

According to a news release, Coca-Cola bottles will now feature an attached cap. It's the hope of the beverage company that this new adjustment to its classic bottles, which as they note are already 100% recyclable, will ensure the caps are recycled along with the bottles. The announcement states that this change will include all 1.5-liter bottles of Fanta, Diet Coke, and Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar but the changes are currently only in the U.K. Per USA Today, we shouldn't expect to see these new bottles with attached lids on Great Britain store shelves until 2024. 

Is it a step in the right direction? Per the U.K. site Recycling Bins, its country's citizens use 7.7 billion plastic bottles per year — an average of 117 bottles per person, annually. That's a lot of plastic and a lot of bottle caps. Coca-Cola's announcement explains that these new caps will not only help increase recycling but will also reduce litter. Of course, the company can only do so much, but with The Guardian reporting that 90% of people in the U.K. practice recycling habits, this seems like an appropriate action. Additionally, USA Today suggests Coke's announcement may be tied to the European Union's new requirement that single-use plastic bottles have attached caps. If it truly makes an impact on recycling, perhaps this idea will make its way to the U.S.