The Coca-Cola Company is taking an unusual step by asking U.S. retailers to give back the shelves that hold Coca-Cola products. Coca-Cola is developing a family of 100 percent recyclable merchandise display racks for use in grocery and convenience stores in the U.S. The first GIVE IT BACK ® racks are free-standing units made of easily recyclable corrugated cardboard and designed to communicate sustainability to shoppers.

The GIVE IT BACK racks are the first step toward a comprehensive, closed-loop retail equipment program where Coca-Cola creates recyclable in-store merchandise racks and then recovers, reuses and/or recycles the displays—an industry first.

«Coca-Cola recovered 400 million pounds of cans and bottles in the U.S. in 2010, yet we want to do more,» said Gary Wygant, Vice President, Business Development, Coca-Cola Recycling. «By creating a 100 percent recyclable merchandise display rack, Coca-Cola is asking grocery and convenience stores to join our sustainability efforts by returning or recycling our racks, just like we ask consumers to return or recycle our product packaging.»

Initially being tested in select markets, the new stand-alone racks are expected to become widely available in late 2011. When fully implemented across Coca-Cola’s U.S. operations, this innovative, closed-loop approach to display racks is expected to be both the first and the largest closed-loop merchandise display rack recovery program in the U.S. consumer packaged goods industry.

The Coca-Cola Company has a 2020 goal to reach industry leadership in environmental stewardship in the areas of packaging and related ancillary components like retail merchandise display racks. According to research by the Hartman Group, more than 70 percent of shoppers consider sustainability when making a purchase.