A three-prong improvement for Coca-Cola’s 89-oz Simply Orange juice bottle vastly improves its recyclability, and presents a technical “first” in plastics manufacturing. 1. Development of a new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin that can be extrusion blow molded on shuttle machines allowed Coca-Cola to switch materials from a hard-to-recycle “Other” (resin code No.7) to the widely-accepted PET (resin code No.1). 2. By also optimizing the bottle design, Coca-Cola is able to reduce annual plastics usage by more than 1.5 million pounds. 3. The pressure-sensitive label on the bottle now uses an innovative adhesive that separates the label from the bottle during the recycling process, further improving the package’s recyclability.

How to best fight marine debris? Prevent the plastic from entering waterways from the start. That is the goal behind the OceanBound Plastic Bottle. Envision has organized special collection of plastics within 50 kilometers of a coast line at known at-risk areas for marine debris and then recycles the material. Its first customer, ViTA, is using the 100% of the recycled plastic in bottles for hair care products, disproving the myth that recycled resin is low quality and can only be used in small percentages. Additionally, the resin used in the masterbatch also carries the colorant, a pearlescent hue. • Colorants and inks were chosen with attention to toxicity; • Energy use through the production cycle was offset with carbon credits; • Labels and related adhesives separate easily during recycling; • Water usage was extremely limited and kept solvent-free so that it could be repurposed as grey water for landscape irrigation; • The distance between manufacturers and warehousing was calculated and used in a proprietary scoring system to best choose manufacturing partners for the lowest possible carbon emissions.” “Plastic in our oceans is perhaps the greatest environmental tragedy of our day,” says Sandra Lewis, director of business development, Envision Plastics. “It is an honor and privilege to prove to the world that we can intercept this plastic before it reaches our waterways, recycle it into a high-quality resin and use it in bottles at 100%. We ask others to follow the example set by ViTA in using Envision’s OceanBound Plastic in your products and packages. By creating the demand for this resin, we can keep more plastic from ever reaching the ocean and put it back in the value chain so that it can be used again and again.”

Through strategic partnerships with key material suppliers, PepsiCo has been able to develop, test market and then commercialize new bio-based compounds for flexible packaging for several of its businesses, including Frito-Lay. PepsiCo worked with key resin manufacturer, NatureWorks, and leading bio-polymer compounder, Danimer Scientific, to produce the new bio-based compounds. Calcium carbonate additives, supplied by Omya, were modified to create the right interaction with the bio-polymers and to make the materials more cost effective. Berry Global adapted its film extrusion lines to handle the compounded resin and produce high-quality films. And converter Johnson Bryce optimized its process to print and laminate the new films. “It is an honor to receive this award from the SPC. PepsiCo has the privilege of working with some great vendors within our supply chain and it is with their help that we were able to introduce the next generation of bio-based/compostable packaging,” says Brad Rodgers (pictured above with the bag), R&D director of sustainable packaging and advanced materials research at PepsiCo. “We look forward to continuing to expand the use of these materials over the coming years.”

As senior sustainability manager at Walmart, Ashley Hall has been instrumental in the roll out of Walmart’s Sustainable Packaging Playbook and implementation of SPC’s How2Recycle labeling system. She has also built the packaging pillar of Project Gigaton, Walmart's ambitious pursuit to remove one gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. According to the entry: “[Ashley Hall] has driven change on every front of sustainable packaging, from sourcing recycled content and plant-based plastics, to optimizing material usage and enhancing product protection, to designing for recycling and improving recyclability messaging, to driving down carbon footprints. Driven by her inexhaustible motivation and ability to build momentum internally and with key partners, the scope and reach of her work is enormous. “Ashley is creating a blueprint for sustainability professionals to follow, demonstrating the power of one individual to lead change at one of the world’s largest companies.”

Since becoming one of the founding members of the SPC in 2002, Victor Bell, president of global environmental packaging and product stewardship consultancy Environmental Packaging Intl. (EPI), has not only contributed greatly to the organization but has also influenced many local, state, federal and global governments. He has shared his knowledge with so many people by mentoring them about sustainability that it would be hard to find a sustainable packaging professional he has not touched. An outspoken New Englander, Bell challenges people to think. His passion, insights and knowledge make him one of the great ambassadors of sustainability today.