Friday 23 August 2019

Coca-Cola thinks outside the bottle with scheme expansion

Coca-Cola is upping its efforts to reduce packaging waste with the expansion of its BYOB, i.e. bring your own bottle, scheme.

Under the initiative in partnership with DASANI PureFill, college students with their own reusable bottles can fill them up with water for free or purchase its soft drink for a small fee.

An app allows them to track their hydration, locate nearby machines and use a cashless payment system.

The project at Ohio State University and the University of Central Florida follows a successful pilot at the Georgia Institute of Technology campus in 2017.

Coca-Cola says this supports its ambition to collect and recycle the equivalent of a bottle or can for every one it sells by 2030.

Jeffrey Busch, Director of equipment commercialisation, Coca-Cola North America said: “Young people, especially college students, always have two things with them throughout the day – a water bottle and a smartphone.

“We’re trying to dial into those habits and add value to a water brand they know and love with a unique solution for on-the-go-hydration – without a package.”

Several schools and hospitals are also expected to roll out the project over the coming months.