Coca-Cola Enterprises that operates inWestern Europehas unveiled its plans to improve recycling behavior and infrastructure as part of its long-term goal to becoming a low-carbon, zero-waste company.

Photo: Coca-Cola packaging value chain, clickable

To realize its sustainability plan for sustainable packaging, CCE is establishing a new joint venture inFrancewith PET recycler APPE. The venture will boost the capacity of its plastics reprocessing facility by 70 percent. CCE will invest €6.5m into this project.

CCE also supports a research partnership to found out how consumer behavior change strategies can improve at-home recycling rates in Great Britain and France, because in these countries demonstrate the lowest recycling rates in Europe—only circa half of plastic bottles are collected for recycling in these countries. Though 79% of consumers polled at the 2012 Olympics Games said they always recycle plastic bottles at home, the data shows that recycling rates are much lower.

“Our goal to lead our industry in sustainable packaging and recycling means we must support and promote improvements throughout our value chain,” said John F. Brock, Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises. “These initiatives aim to address two of our biggest challenges in this area – improving recycling rates by influencing consumer behavior at home and meeting the increasing demand for recycled PET through investments in strategic infrastructure projects.” 

CCE will seek for the ways to change the situation and make what is only being said become reality. The dedicated ethnographic research will be conducted in partnership with the University of Exeterand to unleash the reason for the problem at housholds in both countries.

One of the recent sustainability initiatives of the company’s U.S. division included the launch of the ECOCYCLE brand in partnership with musician will.i.am.