Drink maker plants seeds for a greener future
By Canadian Packaging Staff
Sustainability Coca-Cola Company Odwalla PlantBottleOdwalla, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, is switching all of its single-serve drinks to the 100-per cent plant-based PlantBottle containers launched during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Having firmly established itself as one of North America’s leading producers of natural health beverages, California-based Odwalla, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, is planning to raise its environmentally-friendly credentials to the next level in March of 2011 by switching all of its single-serve drinks to the 100-percent plant-based PlantBottle containers launched by its parent company to widespread acclaim last year during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.
According to the 30-year-old drinkmaker, switching over its flagship Odwalla brand of fruit and vegetable drinks and smoothies to the fully-recyclable HDPE (high-density polyethylene) PlantBottles—comprised primarily of renewable materials derived from molasses and sugarcane juice—will enable it to reduce its carbon-dioxide emissions by an equivalent of 400,000 gallons of gas annually, compared to the traditional petroleum-based HDPE and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, without any negative impact in terms of product shelf-life, weight, composition or appearance.
“Plants do such a good job of making our juice, that Odwalla hired them to help make our bottles,” says Odwalla president Alison Lewis.
“Doing good things for the community and building a business with heart are core guiding principles of Odwalla’s vision and PlantBottle packaging is just the latest step in our continued commitment to the environment,” states Lewis, citing Odwalla’s other significant environmental sustainability initiatives, including:
* A three-year-old reforestoration project, titled Plant A Tree Program, that has planted over 300,000 trees to date;
* Starting up the Bloom Energy Fuel Cell technology at its production facility in Dinuba, Ca., which is expected to reduce the plant’s carbon footprint by 35 per cent, while supplying 30 per cent of its energy needs.
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