An Independent Coca-Cola distributor has announced it has signed an agreement to build a new recycling plant in the Asia Pacific region (APAC).
Coca-Cola Amatil is one of the largest bottlers of non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages in the Asia-Pacific region and has entered into a Heads of Agreement with long-term packaging partner Dynapack Asia.
The agreement includes building a state-of-the-art bottle to bottle grade Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) recycling facility in Indonesia.
Coca-Cola Amatil and Dynapack will work together through a proof of concept phase, which is intended to to consider a potential plant’s economic feasibility, size, scale and location, end-to-end requirements and potential integration into each company’s value chains.
Kadir Gunduz, President Director of Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia, said the new facility is a significant step towards Amatil becoming self-sustaining in the plastic materials it uses, ensuring a closed-loop for plastic beverage packaging in Indonesia too.
“This joint venture represents a real environmental step-change in our move towards a more sustainable approach to plastic and a circular economy by bringing low-quality PET waste back to virgin-quality, food-grade PET, which also echoes The Coca-Cola Company’s ‘World Without Waste’ vision,” he said.
Gunduz said that the use of recycled plastic could reduce the amount of new plastic resin the company uses by an estimated 25,000 tonnes each year in 2022, aligning with the commitment as part of the steering board at NPAP (National Plastic Action Partnership) to support Indonesia’s National Action Plan in achieving a 70% reduction in the nation’s marine plastic debris by 2025.
Tirtadjaja Hambali, President Director of Dynapack Asia, said the company intends to collaborate with their customers to increase the use of recycled materials and products, strengthening the region’s recycling ecosystem and achieving a circular economy in South East Asia and China.
“To support our environmental responsibility, we have signed a global commitment with the Ellen McArthur Foundation to use at least 25 per cent of recycled resin material in our packaging products by 2025,” he said.
“This recycled PET resin facility is another step closer to achieving our commitment.”
Following the proof of concept phase, and formalisation of agreements, the parties will outline their intended program.
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