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No returnable bottles from Coca Cola anymore
Coca Cola wants to take the PET refillable bottles in the sizes 0.5 liter and 1.5 liters from the range. The German environmental aid is outraged.
Already in the first half of 2015, Coca Cola plans to take the PET refillable bottles in the sizes 0.5 liter and 1.5 liter from the range. For the soft drink market leader reusable bottles are too expensive. Coca Cola itself explains the change with the fact that the machines require less set-up time if they only have to fill one PET bottle model, so that they can run longer in a row. In addition, the logistics are too extensive for the group because bottles are sold elsewhere than they were bought, and truck drivers therefore often transport empty boxes. This problem is allegedly especially in 0.5 liter bottles, as they are drunk especially on the go. A quarter of Coca Cola's returnable package will disappear with this conversion.
Nothing changes for the consumer. Instead of 15 cent deposit on returnable bottles, he will have to pay 25 cents on disposable bottles in the future. Fanta, Mezzo Mix, Sprite and Lift are also affected by the new packaging strategy. The 1 liter returnable bottle remains in the assortment. The glass bottles are not affected.
Ecologically, the conversion is questionable: A PET returnable bottle is refilled about 12-25 times. On the other hand, disposable bottles are shredded and melted down to make new bottles or other products. The energy consumption for this is significantly higher than the rinsing of returnable bottles.
The German environmental aid is angry about this exit. She accuses the group of preparing step by step the complete exit. Coca Cola has deliberately promoted falling demand for reusable bottles by selling cheaper disposable bottles in discounters. If a market leader like Coca Cola makes such a statement, it will trigger discussions at other companies as well. The environmental authorities are considering the introduction of a tax on the purchase of disposable bottles, in which the consumer has to pay an additional 20 cents for every single-use bottle he buys.
