Asahi switches to recycled material for all plastic soft drink bottles

Marking a sustainable milestone for the business; every plastic soft drink bottle in Asahi Beverages’ range in Australia is now made with 100% recycled plastic*.

This conversion means that around 350 million bottles each year are now made in Australia with repurposed plastic instead of virgin material.

Asahi Beverages Group CEO Amanda Sellers said: “Redesigning our supply chains this way helps secure our supply of plastic bottles into the future and makes financial sense. As Australia’s leading beverages company, we are committed to embedding sustainability into our strategy, systems and processes.”

The transition was accelerated by the company’s investment in Container Deposit Schemes and the construction of two PET plastic bottle recycling plants in Australia, as part of the Circular Plastics Australia (PET) joint venture between Asahi Beverages, Cleanaway Waste Management, Pact Group and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

The PET recycling plants, in Albury, NSW and Altona in Melbourne’s west, have helped deliver a significant increase in the volume of recycled plastic, made in Australia, and allowed Asahi to source more material for its bottles onshore.

Australia’s Container Deposit Schemes have played a key role in significantly increasing recycling capacity by supplying used bottles that become feedstock for the recycling plants.

“Circular Plastics Australia (PET) and the establishment of Container Deposit Schemes by governments and the beverage industry in every state and territory are major initiatives that have helped ensure we have the raw material required to produce 100% recycled soft drink bottles. By recycling old bottles so that they once again become new bottles and repeating the process, everyday Australians are helping create a more circular economy in Australia,” Sellers said.

_{*Excluding caps and labels.}

Image: Supplied