Recently, Suntory Group announced that it has successfully manufactured a PET bottle made of 100% plant material, which uses two raw materials: 70% terephthalic acid (PTA) and 30% monoethylene glycol (MEG).
The plant-based bottle prototype was developed after nearly a decade of collaboration between Suntory and Anellotech, an American sustainable technology company, and is produced by combining Anellotech's new technology, plant paraxylene extracted from wood chips (which has been converted to plant-based PTA) and plant-based MEG extracted from molasses (Suntory has been used in The Suntory Tennensui brand in Japan since 2013). PTA is produced from non-food biomass, while MEG is derived from non-food grade raw materials. Suntory invested £1.6 million in the project.
Suntory plans to commercialize the bottle as soon as possible to meet its 2030 goal of eliminating the use of PET plastic bottles made from petroleum extracts globally, achieving 100% recycling, or using plant-based PET bottles.
It is reported that from January 2021, all 500 ml bottles produced by Suntory each year in the UK and Ireland will adopt this new design. Over the next 18 months, the new PET bottles will also be used in two other beverages produced by Suntory – Lucozade Sport and Lucozade Energy. This will reportedly save 1,100 tons of plastic per year.
Carol Robert, CHIEF OPERATING Officer of Suntory Food & Beverage GB&I, said: "Ensuring our bottles can be easily recycled and turned into new bottles is an important part of our journey to achieve full recycling and net zero emissions. Simplifying beverage packaging helps consumers recycle, and this is just one of the many investments we're making to make soft drinks more sustainable. ”
It is estimated that this fully recyclable plant-based bottle prototype has a "significant reduction" in carbon emissions compared to PET plastic bottles made from oil extracts, helping the company achieve net zero emissions across the value chain by 2050.
Source: https://www.foodbev.com/news/suntorys-new-design-for-ribena-bottles-enables-100-bottle-to-bottle-recycling/
https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2021/12/06/Suntory-reveals-100-plant-based-bottle
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