Pepsi Unveils 100% Plant-Based Bottle

Pepsi Photo - All Green Electronics Recycling
Credit: PRNewsFoto

PepsiCo unveiled a new plastic bottle design today—one made entirely out of plant-based materials.

According to the Associated Press:

“The bottle is made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials. Ultimately, Pepsi plans to also use orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business.”

Furthermore, the bottle is said to look, feel, and protect the drink exactly the same way as the current bottles do.

Plastic bottles are traditionally made from PET, or Type 1, plastic because it is lightweight, shatter-resistant, and it doesn’t affect flavors. Traditional PET plastic is made using fossil fuels such as petroleum, but by using plant-based materials instead, a company can reduce its environmental impact. PepsiCo says that the new plastic will cost about the same as the traditional plastic.

PepsiCo plans to test the new bottle in 2012 with a few hundred thousand bottles to make sure that the company can produce the new plastic on such a large scale. If the test-run proves to be successful, Pepsi will start converting all of its products over.

For all of the Coke lovers out there: Will you make the switch to Pepsi because of its new eco-friendly packaging?

For the record, Coke bottles are currently made from 30 percent plant-based material, while the new Pepsi bottle will be made from 100 percent plant-based material.

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Comments (6)

  1. Avatar for Arman Rani Chopra says:

    Kudos to Pepsi for taking this initative. There is a lot of plastic bottle wastage and this is what we need to reduce our carbon footprint in the world.

    1. Avatar for Arman Amy Erickson says:

      Thanks for the comment Rani! I think it’s great that Pepsi is taking this initiative too. If we must use plastic bottles, it’s a lot better for the environment if they are plant-based and can biodegrade.

  2. Avatar for Arman Penelope J. says:

    Very interesting piece. Eco-friendly packaging! 100% plant based material. Still won’t make me drink Pepsi, but it’s certainly a big step forward. Scrolled down and saw there was a lot of other environmental information that we should about.

    1. Avatar for Arman Amy Erickson says:

      Thanks for the comment Penelope! I think that it’s pretty great too, but I’m afraid to admit that I’m still a fan of my Diet Coke (no matter how bad it is for me/ the environment!)

  3. Avatar for Arman Diane Bucka says:

    fantastic! I assume the new bottle has the same “no-flavor” qualities….I don’t know, maybe the lemon and lime peels be infusing the soft drinks in a good way? It would be interesting to hear more about exactly how the plant-based bottles will reduce the environmental impact.

    1. Avatar for Arman Amy Erickson says:

      I would assume that it has the same “no-flavor” qualities, but I haven’t read anything that specified it, just that the average person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It could be interesting to see if they could infuse the flavor in the drinks with the lemon and lime peels though and make it taste good.

      I’ll see if I can figure out more about how plant-based bottles will reduce the environmental impact. I believe it is because they are biodegradable and compostable, and petroleum-based plastic is not.

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