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

The Differences Between Degradable, Biodegradable, and Compostable Plastics

The world of “Green” (as in other industries) has its own terms and terminologies. For the person trying to make some sense of these and wishing to make positive environmental lifestyle changes it can get awfully confusing. Take for instance the terms degradable, biodegradable, and compostable when used in relation to plastics. There are major differences between the three and they will probably play a role in your purchasing decisions.

Degradable

Degradable plastics are oil based and break down through chemical reactions rather than the activity of micro-organisms and as a result they can degrade in an anaerobic environment into water, CO2, biomass and trace elements.

Most degradable plastics leave some form of residual particulates that are not environmentally friendly.

Biodegradable

Biodegradable plastics are made from vegetable starch in most cases and break down through the actions of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. over a period of time. The time period varies and depends on diverse factors.

There are many advantages to products being biodegradable, most of which are obvious. However, there are some disadvantages. When dumped in landfills, they are often dug under where the "good" bacteria can't survive in an oxygen depleted (anaerobic) environments. As a result, when they break down they create methane, a greenhouse gas.

Note: There are products which can fully biodegradable under anaerobic conditions without adverse effect to the environment.

Compostable

According to the American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM), in order for plastics to be considered compostable, they must be able to break down into carbon dioxide, water and biomass at the same rate as paper. The resulting product also needs to look like compost, should not produce any toxic material, and should be able to support plant life. Compostable items are made from plant materials such as corn, potato, cellulose, soy and sugar.

The downside is that in order for these products to compost they need to be disposed of in composting facilities where strict environmental conditions are continuously maintained i.e. heat, moisture, etc. unfortunately, there are very few industrial capacity composting facilities in the US so it is likely your compostable plastics will just wind up in a landfill, which sort of defeats the purpose.

In Conclusion

Whether you choose any of the three types of plastics over standard plastic products you are benefiting the cause and demonstrating environmental responsibility. As with any emerging technology, biodegradable plastics will continue to improve and someday there may only be upsides to using the products. Until then, the choice is yours.

Portions of this article are courtesy of Green Living Tips. We encourage you to visit their site: www.greenlivingtips.com