06.06.12
Procter & Gamble is joining The Coca-Cola Company, Ford Motor Company, H.J. Heinz Company and Nike in the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC), a strategic working group focused on accelerating the development and use of 100% plant-based PET materials and fiber in products.
The collaboration builds upon Coca-Cola Company’s PlantBottle packaging technology, which is partially made from plants and has demonstrated a lower environmental impact when compared to traditional PET plastic bottles. Currently, Heinz licenses the technology from Coca-Cola for select Heinz ketchup bottles in the U.S. and Canada.
The PTC was formed to support new technologies in an effort to evolve today’s material that is partially made from plants to a solution made entirely from plants, the companies said in a joint press statement. By leveraging the research and development efforts of the founding companies, the PTC is taking the lead to affect positive change across multiple industries. PTC members are committed to researching and developing commercial solutions for PET plastic made entirely from plants and will aim to drive the development of common methodologies and standards for the use of plant-based plastic including life cycle analyses and universal terminology.
Erin Simon, senior program officer of packaging for World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said it is “encouraging to see these leading companies use their market influence to reduce dependence on petroleum-based plastics. We hope other companies will follow their lead.”