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Current Site: Austria
Site Selector
Current Site: Austria
We are aware that our packaging and its use are at the focus of the current discussion about plastic and plastic waste. Coca-Cola therefore relies on a constructive dialogue and sustainable goals and is committed to being part of the solution. Our ambitious global strategy for this is our vision of a "World Without Waste": By 2030, for every bottle or can that is brought onto the market, the equivalent is to be collected and recycled - worldwide. As part of the World Without Waste strategy, we fulfil our role as an innovation leader in packaging and are constantly working on optimizing existing packaging and finding packaging-free alternatives for our products.
recyclability
of materials used for bottles and cans
recycled material
within the entire PET portfolio filled in Edelstal
collection rate
for PET bottles in Austria
Coca-Cola HBC Austria currently successfully uses reusable glass bottles for the majority of our brands in the food service and hospitality sector. Refillable premix and postmix containers are available for dispensing systems. Coca-Cola is also available in 0.33 L reusable glass bottles in select grocery stores. Our Römerquelle mineral water has been available in glass bottles in the food retail industry for years. In the past few years, the retail portfolio was supplemented by 1 liter returnable glass bottles from the Coca-Cola, Coca-Cole zero and Römerquelle Emotion brands.
Overall, the portion of reusable bottles – measured based on the production volume – is currently at 11%. Our goal for the upcoming years is to increase this percentage and the commercial availability of our reusable products.
We are currently investing 10 million euros in a new refillable-glass filling line and washing system in Edelstal. With a filling speed of 50,000 bottles per hour, depending on the filling quantity, the capacities for reusable packs of different sizes will be significantly increased.
In order to close material cycles, we use a complex process to add high-quality PET regranulate to our new PET bottles. By the end of 2021, our full range of bottles, that are produced in Edelstal, consisted of 31.5% recycled material.
Our consumers value light and practical bottles. Since April 2018, an even more compact Römerquelle PET bottle with a shortened bottleneck has been on the market. This bottle is up to 3.3 grams lighter per unit.
“With a 70% collection rate for PET bottles, Austria holds an excellent place in international comparison. However, there is still room for improvement. We want to have every single PET bottle back. It is the only way for us to keep extremely valuable polyethylene terephthalate – PET – in the cycle for as long as possible, thus conserving resources for future generations.”
Christian Strasser Manager PET to PET
Together with local partners, such as Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA), Coca-Cola continuously works towards increasing the collection and recycling rates. The recycling plant PET to PET in Müllendorf, founded by Coca-Cola HBC in cooperation with four other beverage producers, is a prime example of the success of these efforts. The collection of PET bottles is essential in order to feed the recycling process and create new PET bottles.
Find out more about PET to PET
With the “RecycleMich” initiative, Coca-Cola Austria, together with its partner Reclay, was able to achieve a solidarity in the Austrian beverage industry with regard to the EU target of a 90% collection rate. The focus is on the RecycleMich app, which rewards correct collection and recycling with attractive prices and helps to increase awareness and commitment in the population.
You can find more about the RecycleMich initiative at: www.recyclemich.at
With the digital incentive system digi-Cycle, developed by Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA) and Saubermacher AG, and the Circular University project of ARA and Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), we have been backing further innovative solutions in support of separate waste collection since 2021.
We want to introduce even more packaging into the recycling loop. That's why we created digi-Cycle; an innovative solution built on a familiar system offering new incentives to increase waste separation. The positive effects are clear: more raw material recycled, less residual waste and littering with high cost-effectiveness.
Dr. Harald Hauke Board Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA)
Together we are supporting the further steps that will allow us with the introduction of the deposit system fo,r single-use beverage packaging to successfully start the new chapter by 2025.