News & Events

Heinz to adopt Coca Cola’s sustainable PlantBottle® packaging

Heinz will now produce its ketchup bottles using PlantBottle® packaging, marking the biggest change to their iconic design since 1983.

Launched by Coca Cola in 2009, PlantBottle® packaging has a lower reliance on non-renewable resources compared with traditional PET plastic bottles, with nearly 30% of its material derived from plants.

 

Dr Richard Murphy, an Imperial academic in the Division of Biology, headed up an initial life cycle analysis of the product. His team were able to confirm that Coca Cola’s innovative packaging reduced CO2 impact by 12-19%.

 

In 2010 alone, the use of this breakthrough packaging eliminated the equivalent of almost 30,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or approximately 60,000 barrels of oil.

 

Both Heinz and Coca Cola hope that others will follow in the use of more sustainable materials, transforming how food is packaged around the world.

 

Life cycle analysis (LCA) is a tool used to assess the environmental impact of a product or process.

Share post:

Latest news, insights and events

Cricketer set a £1million batting challenge

Cricketer set a £1million batting challenge

A leading cricketer has been offered £1million to strike a ball clear of the Lord’s Pavilion, using a new Mongoose bat tested by Imperial Consultants. read more

Energy storage and electric driverless cars

Energy storage and electric driverless cars

Government to set up a “battery institute” to award millions to companies on the brink of development breakthroughs as experts agree effective electrical energy storage will play crucial role in moving to a world powered by low-carbon electricity. read more

Imperial’s new COVID-19 testing lab goes live

Imperial’s new COVID-19 testing lab goes live

Imperial’s contribution to the Testing Alliance launched. Includes the UKAS accredited Molecular Diagnostic Unit (MDU) and existing high-throughput robotic platform for RNA extraction. read more