No more plastic rings. Philly Coca-Cola bottler turns to paperboard packaging

The bottle might still be plastic, but the carrier is no long made of plastic if it comes from a Philadelphia bottler.

Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages unveiled new recyclable paperboard carriers for multipack drinks during an event at the distributor's Juniata Park facility Wednesday, May 29, 2024. By turning to the more sustainable paperboard, Liberty says it will save an estimated 200,000 pounds of plastic rings each year.

Back in November 2023, Liberty and WestRock announced that the bottler would become the first beverage distributor in the world to transition to WestRock’s PETCollar Shield Plus paper-based packaging for both 12-ounce and 16.9-ounce bottles. Liberty has already transitioned to paperboard carriers for aluminum cans in 2022 and has transitioned to 100% recycled plastic bottles (excluding the label and cap).

"We’ve made it our mission to invest in technology that produces recyclable beverage containers that can return to our system while significantly reducing the need for secondary plastic packaging,” Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages co-owner Fran McGorry said. “We know the most valuable change to reduce plastic waste occurs when bottlers and packaging producers work together. We are proud to partner with WestRock to make this change.”

The more eco-friendly packaging has started to show up on shelves in stores that Liberty supplies in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York.

Though not perfect, the new carriers are a start toward sustainablity.

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"This is an opportunity for Philadelphia to showcase Liberty's efforts and to demonstrate that our city is committed to doing its part to better our environment for today and into the future," Philadelphia Councilmember Quetcy Lozada said.