PepsiCo to introduce 100% recycled plastic bottles in Canada

PepsiCo Beverages Canada is set to launch 7UP soft drink in bottles made from 100 per cent recycled PET plastic – the first such bottle in North America, the company said.

Available in stores beginning in early August, the company’s 7UP EcoGreen bottle will be made in multiple PepsiCo manufacturing facilities across Canada.

Using more recycled PET will reduce the amount of virgin plastic the company uses by about 6 million pounds over the course of a year, PepsiCo said. The company currently uses an average of 10 per cent recycled PET in its primary soft drink bottles in the U.S. and Canada.

Creating a bottle made from 100 per cent recycled plastic for soft drinks is more challenging than creating a bottle for noncarbonated beverages, PepsiCo said, because of the stress on materials from carbonation pressure – which is why the product has been a long time in coming, and has necessitated the investment of $1 million in production enhancements in PepsiCo manufacturing facilities, including resin handling and inspection systems.

“After three years of research and development, we have cracked the code to commercially develop a soft drink bottle made from 100 per cent recycled PET plastic,” said Richard Glover, president of Mississauga, Ont.-based PepsiCo Beverages Canada. “Consumers want products and packaging that reflects their desire to protect the environment, and PepsiCo is committed to delivering on that with this kind of world-class innovation.”