Reducing carbon footprint of plastic bottle
Client: The Coca-Cola Company
Consultant: Dr Richard Murphy, Dr Jeremy Woods and Miss Miao Guo, LCAworks
Expertise: Life cycle analysis
Our consultants shared their expertise in life cycle analysis to compare the carbon footprints generated by the The Coca-Cola Company’s new PlantBottle™ versus their previous PET plastic bottle.
The Challenge
The Coca-Cola Company had developed a new bottle made through a process that turns sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar production, into a monoethylene glycol, a major component of PET plastic. The packaging is made of up to 30% plant-based material and can be recycled in the existing recycling infrastructure. The challenge was to quantify the environmental benefits of the product.
The Solution
Through Imperial Consultants, LCAworks members Dr Richard Murphy, Dr Jeremy Woods and Miss Miao Guo carried out a full life-cycle analysis of the product as a major part of Coca Cola’s development programme.
The Impact
The life cycle analysis confirmed that the new PlantBottle™ reduced the CO2 impact 12-19% compared to petroleum-based PET plastic bottles. In 2010 alone, the use of this breakthrough packaging eliminated the equivalent of almost 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or approximately 60,000 barrels of oil.
The bottle is being piloted by Coca Cola North America in select markets and has also won the gold prize in the innovation and sustainability category at the DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation which is an award that is recognised for environmental achievements in the area of packaging and is also the industry’s longest running, independently judged awards honouring materials, processing, technology and service achievements that demonstrate excellence in packaging innovation, sustainability and cost/waste reduction.
Share post:
Related case studies

Discovery Channel’s ‘Breaking Magic’
Dr Roberto Trotta provided scientific expertise to the production team of ‘Breaking Magic’, which airs on the Discovery Channel. read more

Intelligent infrastructure paves way for Electric Vehicles
Modelling and analysis of the impact of PHEVs on the operation and design of the UK electricity distribution network. read more

GoRolloe Life Cycle Assessment
Our consultants provided life cycle analysis for GoRolloe, a start-up developing a device for bicycle wheels that filters out air pollution as its riden, helping the company identify potential environmental hotspots, and improvements. read more