COCA-Cola (Coke) has tied up with Indian firm JBF Industries to build the world’s largest facility for bio-glycol, a key ingredient used to make Coke’s PlantBottle packaging, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The 50,000 tonne/year-capacity facility will use locally sourced sugarcane and sugarcane processing waste.

The firm first introduced the recyclable PET plastic bottle made partially from plants in 2009. Today, Coke says it has sold more than 10 billion PlantBottles around the world.

Construction of the facility is expected to begin at the end of this year and last for 24 months. At full capacity, it is estimated the facility will produce 500,000 tonnes of material per year.

By using plant-based materials instead of non-renewable materials, the facility will remove the equivalent of 690,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide or the equivalent of consuming more than 1.5 million barrels of oil each year.

PlantBottle packaging is available in more than 24 countries worldwide and across a wide variety of Coca-Cola products. Since the package launched in 2009, its use has eliminated the equivalent of almost 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions -- the equivalent of 200,000 barrels of oil from The Coca-Cola Company's PET plastic packaging. (PRA)

Electronic Editions 2012