Currently available in one-litre bottles, the Kinley new rPET bottle is made from recycled food-grade plastic and is said to be India’s first packaged drinking water brand to use 100% recycled PET bottles
ALPLA and Coca-Cola launch India’s first 100% recycled PET water bottles. (Credit: ALPLA Group)
Austrian packaging solution provider ALPLA has supported Coca-Cola India to launch a new bottle made from 100% recycled polyethene terephthalate (rPET) in Andhra Pradesh, India for the latter’s Kinley brand.
Kinley is now said to be India’s first packaged drinking water brand to use 100% recycled PET bottles. It is also the first such bottle in India for the food or drinks sector.
Currently available in one-litre bottles, the new rPET bottle is made from recycled food-grade plastic.
The move also represents an important step for ALPLA and Coca-Cola in India in their collaborative efforts to establish a circular economy.
Both parties started production after receiving approval from the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The Indian regulator approved the use of recycled PET in food packaging, subject to compliance with its requirements, after a thorough review of food safety.
Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia Technical and Innovation VP Enrique Ackermann said: “We are proud to be the first beverage company in India to offer our consumers a sustainable choice of packaging, by launching Kinley bottles made from 100% recycled PET.
“Our new bottles made with food-grade rPET have value beyond their initial use, as they are fully recyclable and can be repurposed into new bottles.”
ALPLA’s initiatives are intended to promote Coca-Cola’s global objective of using at least 50% recycled material in all packaging by 2030 by providing the rPET preforms.
Currently, 15% of the PET used is recycled internationally, and 90% of the packaging company’s packaging is recyclable.
Coca-Cola Franchise Bottling Partner Sri Sarvaraya Sugars managing director S B P P Rammohan said: “This move towards using recycled PET in packaging, aligns with our government’s vision of sustainable plastic use, and we are proud to be associated with the Coca-Cola System in India as the first movers in this sustainability initiative.”
In December last year, Coca-Cola Bangladesh introduced Kinley water bottles with 100% rPET in two-litre packs.
Recently, ALPLA acquired iTEC Packaging’s business in Mansfield, UK.