Suppliers Collaborate to Speed 100 Percent Plant-Based Product Development

June 7, 2012

The Coca-Cola Co., Procter & Gamble, H.J. Heinz Co., Ford Motor Co., and NIKE Inc., have formed the PET Technology Collaborative (PTC), a strategic working group focused on accelerating the development and use of 10 percent plant-based PET materials and fiber in their products.

PET, also known as polyethylene terephthalate, is a durable, lightweight plastic that is used by all member companies in a variety of products and materials including plastic bottles, apparel, footwear and automotive fabric and carpet.

The collaborative builds upon the success of The Coca-Cola Company’s PlantBottle packaging technology, which is partially made from plants and has demonstrated a lower environmental impact 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.

This new collaborative 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.

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 lifecycle analyses and universal terminology.

“Fossil fuels like oil have significant impacts to the planet’s biodiversity, climate and other natural systems,” said Erin Simon, senior program officer of packaging for World Wildlife Fund. “Sustainably managing our natural resources and finding alternatives to fossil fuels are both business and environmental imperatives. It’s 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.”

Keywords: plant-based products

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