Philadelphia-based bottler Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages has unveiled a fiber-based paper packaging that will replace plastic rings on multipacks cans of soda, the company said Tuesday.
Graphic Packaging International’s KeepClip paperboard packaging system has already been used by Coca-Cola bottlers in Europe, but Liberty says its switch is the “first of its kind” in the U.S.
The new packaging is set to be delivered to all stores across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, as well as parts of Connecticut and Delaware, Liberty said.
A representative for Liberty told NBC10 that the rollout will begin within the next 30 days.
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It’s estimated that the new packaging will remove 75,000 pounds of plastic packaging a year from the supply chain for about 3.1 million cases of Coca-Cola across the Northeast, the company added.
“Liberty is thrilled to be the first bottler in the United States to implement this innovative packaging system,” said Paul Mulligan, co-owner of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages. “We know that the most valuable change to reduce plastic waste occurs when bottlers and packaging producers work together in partnership. We look forward to partnering with Graphic Packaging on sharing this sustainable packaging in our local communities for years to come.”
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The fiber-based packaging will be made at one of Liberty’s facilities in New York.
Liberty has several production centers across the East Coast, including sites in Philadelphia, Moorestown, New Jersey, and Elmsford, New York, as well as distribution locations in Philadelphia; Marmora and South Brunswick, New Jersey, and the Bronx, Maspeth, Elmsford, New Windsor and Smithtown, New York.
This isn’t the first time Liberty has tackled sustainability issues: last summer, Liberty became the first local Coca-Cola bottler to produce and distribute bottles made from 100 percent recycled material in the U.S., the company said.
