PepsiCo Beverages Canada Announces the 7UP EcoGreen™ Bottle

 

PepsiCo Beverages Canada announces the 7UP EcoGreen™ bottle, Canada’s – and North America’s – first soft drink bottle made from 100% recycled PET plastic.

The development of the 7UP EcoGreen bottle is a significant achievement for PepsiCo and a breakthrough for the Canadian beverage sector because the company has identified a way to couple existing technology with the best sources of rPET and best-in-class processing techniques to produce a 100% rPET, food-grade bottle that meets all regulatory requirements and is of the highest quality. Creating a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic for soft drinks is more challenging than creating a bottle for non-carbonated beverages because of the stress on materials from carbonation pressure.

By introducing the 7UP EcoGreen bottle in Canada, PepsiCo Beverages Canada will reduce the amount of virgin plastic used by approximately six million pounds over the course of one year. Studies published by the Association for Post-Consumer Plastic Recyclers in 2010, estimate this reduced use of virgin plastic will lead to a reduction of more than 30% in greenhouse gas emissions and more than 55% in energy use, based on current 7UP production levels. 

A step beyond Naked Juice 

It’s a stepwise development for PepsiCo: The technology is identical to that used for last year’s Naked Juice reNEWa bottle in a non-carbonated application, Denise Lefebvre, PepsiCo’s VP, Global Beverage Packaging, informsFood & Beverage Packaging.

“That’s no small technical feat getting to the right quality post-consumer recycle content, particularly for a carbonated soft drink bottle that has so many design requirements from pressure and product retention and utility in the marketplace,” she says. “We see a continued consumer demand for this kind of packaging.”

The 7UP EcoGreen bottle will be available across all 7UP and Diet 7UP package sizes beginning in early August, and will look and feel like any other PET plastic soft drink bottle. The bottle will be produced in multiple PepsiCo manufacturing facilities across Canada. The company invested $1 million in production enhancements in its facilities, including resin handling systems and inspection systems. Although there will be an incremental cost to produce the 7UP EcoGreen bottle, PepsiCo Beverages Canada plans to price 7UP beverages on par with other soft drink brands.

PepsiCo Beverages Canada’s long-term plan is to increase the use of bottles made from 100% recycled plastic. Currently, PepsiCo leads the industry by incorporating an average of 10% rPET in its primary soft drink bottles in Canada and the U.S.

Article by Food and Beverage Packaging 

Myanmar City Jails Woman for 15 Days Over Plastic Bags

 Maybe this is a little too harsh, but it sends a message. Don't use non-recyclable bags or else! Zero tolerance. We would like to see stricter laws here in the US too!

YANGON, Myanmar -- A woman in Myanmar has been jailed for 15 days for violating a city ban on non-recyclable plastic bags.

The Voice news magazine reported Saturday the Chinese market vendor was the first person to be punished for violating the ban enacted two years ago.

The report said Yan Marayi, also known as Daw Kyu, was arrested when municipal authorities found 18 packets each containing 100 plastic bags at her shop at Mandalay's Yadanarpon market.

Myanmar's second-largest city was the first to ban non-recyclable plastic bags. The largest city, Yangon, and the capital, Naypyitaw, now have similar measures.

Article by Fox News

Pepsi Unveils Eco-Friendly Bottles

[Finally a big-time plastics user is moving away from bottles that are largely petroleum based. Even though the bottles are not biodegradable, it is a step in the right direction.  

Click here for info on 100% biodegradable plastics.]

PepsiCo Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a bottle made entirely of plant material, which it says bests the technology of competitor Coca-Cola and reduces its potential carbon footprint.

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. 

The new bottle looks, feels and protects the drink inside exactly the same as its current bottles, said Rocco Papalia, senior vice president of advanced research at PepsiCo. "It's indistinguishable."

PepsiCo says it is the world's first bottle of a common type of plastic called PET made entirely of plant-based materials. Coca-Cola Co. currently produces a bottle using 30 percent plant-based materials and recently estimated it would be several years before it has a 100 percent plant bottle that's commercially viable.

"We've cracked the code," said Papalia.

The discovery potentially changes the industry standard for plastic packaging. Traditional plastic, called PET, is used in beverage bottles, food pouches, coatings and other common products.

The plastic is the go-to because it's lightweight and shatter-resistant, its safety is well-researched and it doesn't affect flavors. It is not biodegradable or compostable. But it is fully recyclable, a characteristic both companies maintain in their new creations.

Traditional PET plastic is made using fossil fuels, like petroleum, a limited resource that's rising in price. By using plant material instead, companies reduce their environmental impact. Pepsi says the new plastic will cost about the same as traditional plastic.

PepsiCo plans to test the product in 2012 in a few hundred thousand bottles. Once the company is sure it can successfully produce the bottle at that scale, it will begin converting all its products over.

Article courtesy of Associated Press

Bio-Plastics: Cashew Nut Computers?

A unique plastic made from cashew nut shells could be used in consumer electronics by 2013.

Japanese company NEC Corporation has announced the development of a first-of-its kind biomass-based plastic -- bio-plastic - produced using non-edible plant resources such as cashew nut shells. The plastic is durable enough to be used in electronic equipment and NEC expects that with continued research bio-plastic could be used in a range of electronic devices by 2014.

The product would represent an environmentally friendly breakthrough in terms of alternative plastics as current variations, which mainly use plant cells and castor oil, suffer from low heat resistance and poor durability to water. The new bio-plastic, which NEC claims does not suffer from these shortcomings, could therefore pave the way for more durable and environmentally friendlier consumer electronic goods such as computers.

Bio-plastics have been gathering greater attention as an alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics which contribute to global warming and environmental pollution. However previously developed bio-plastics have used food sources in their production, sparking fears over the possibility of future food shortages.  

In August of this year manufacturer of cosmetics and household goods Procter and Gamble (P&G) announced the launch of environmentally friendly packaging made from sugarcane-derived plastics for their Pantene Pro V, CoverGirl and Max Factor Brands.

NEC will formally announce the development of a new bio-plastic at the chemical society of Japan on August 31.

Article courtesy of The Independant