Coca-Cola launches new plant, packaging

Selected for its close proximity to markets and distribution sites in the Guateng region and a similar source water profile as Valpré's, the new plant will help Coca-Cola South Africa meet the needs of the increasing demand for bottled water in the country.

Keynote speaker, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Bomo Molewa said, "The opening of the new Valpré plant in Heidelberg, and the launch of PlantBottle, supports government's mandate to create infrastructure, develop skills, increase the number of woman in the workforce and ensure sustainable development with a focus on minimizing the impact on the environment."

The new Valpré plant is run by a team of talented, black women operators - reinforcing Coca-Cola's commitment to positively impact the communities in which it operates. In 2010, Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola announced the company's "5 BY 20" pledge which aims to empower 5 million women by 2020 through the Coca-Cola system. This is one of several programmes in South Africa to meet this challenge.

Bottles from plants

The company also launched its innovative PlantBottle packaging; the first-ever recyclable PET plastic beverage bottle made from up to 30% plant that is 100% recyclable. This is the 10th market to launch the bottle in the world and the first in Africa.

PlantBottle packaging has a lighter footprint on the environment due to its reduced dependence on nonrenewables such as petroleum. By the end of 2010 (in two years since its introduction in the United States), more than 2.5 billion PlantBottle packages had been produced, eliminating the equivalent of approximately 60 000 barrels of oil from our plastic bottles.

South African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA) executive director, Charlotte Metcalf, said both the plant and new bottle significantly advance the bottling industry's 'green' strategy. "With the new Heidelberg plant, Valpré will reduce its carbon footprint, lower its water usage ratio, adopt energy efficient lighting and production technologies, and boost its solid waste recovery - all while providing its market with a sustainable product packaged in a bottle that takes a giant step towards using renewable resource."

The plant is also undergoing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification - an internationally recognised program that is the accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. The design of facility maximizes recycled materials and makes optimal use of water and solar energy. It has a "zero to landfill" target.

Click here for more information on PlantBottle.