Coca-Cola Romania is transitioning to plastic bottles with attached caps

Alina Oprea

7 April, 2023 at 1:53 PM

The Coca-Cola system in Romania, formed by the companies Coca-Cola Romania and Coca-Cola HBC Romania, announces that it is taking another step towards "A World Without Waste", the global vision for a circular and sustainable economy. Thus, starting in April, the Coca-Cola System introduces on the local market the caps that remain attached to plastic bottles. The initiative is part of The Coca-Cola Company's transition across Europe to meet the closure of plastic beverage containers included in the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive and aims to facilitate the collection and recycling of plastic caps together with the bottles and thus contribute to the reduction of packaging waste. The first series of bottles with attached caps will be available for the brands in the non-carbonated soft drinks portfolio, namely Fuzetea, and Cappy.

The new lid design also represents a new step in the company's journey towards sustainability in terms of packaging - the vision "A world without waste" - which involves a global commitment to collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of the packaging placed on the market, until 2030, and to accelerate steps to eliminate packaging waste.

In Romania, the company has already started the production of bottles with the new attached cap for the portfolio of non-carbonated soft drinks, with the transition also to begin for carbonated soft drink bottles in May.

"We are aware of the role we play in keeping packaging out of nature. We work, through various solutions, to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, where packaging is a resource, not waste. An important part of our strategy is innovation and investment in packaging design to make it more sustainable and encourage consumers to collect for recycling. Since 2014, we have introduced, for natural mineral water, Dorna, an innovative packaging, made in proportion to 30% of plants. We continued with the launch in 2020 of the portfolio of natural mineral waters in 100% recycled PET, then the introduction of Keel Clip™, a collective packaging alternative that replaces plastic film. Currently, 20% of the total PET portfolio is bottled in recycled PET and 100% of the Coca-Cola System soft drinks portfolio is available in recyclable packaging. We believe that a world without waste is possible, that's why we will continue our efforts to reach new important milestones in this journey", says Jovan Radosavljevic, General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC Romania.

The attached cap solution, proposed by the Coca-Cola System, marks an important step in its journey. While the bottle opening system remains unchanged, the novelty lies in the ring that, with the help of a flap, helps the cap to fit perfectly. The cap stays attached to the safety ring on the bottle and the flap ensures the bottle opens in a perfect position.

"The Coca-Cola system shares the EU's commitment to improving the collection and recycling rate of packaging waste. Our goal is to help eliminate packaging waste by working to find the most sustainable solutions so that people can enjoy their favourite drinks, made with care for them and packaged with environmental responsibility. The new bottle closure system has been tested in the Coca-Cola Company's research and development laboratory in Brussels to ensure not only a comfortable experience for consumers and benefits in terms of functionality and hygiene but also regulatory compliance as well as the highest technical and safety standards. The transition to attached caps is an opportunity to promote recycling messages, supporting our efforts for 100% collection of packaging, including caps", says Paris Nikolopoulos, General Manager of Coca-Cola Romania.