[quote]
[img]http://static02.mediaite.com/geekosystem/uploads/2011/03/pepsi-bottles-550x366.jpg[/img]
PepsiCo Inc. unveiled a new bottle Tuesday made entirely of plant material that it says bests the technology of competitor Coca-Cola and reduces bottles' carbon footprint.
The bottle is made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials. Ultimately, Pepsi plans to also use orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business.
The new bottle looks, feels and protects the drink inside exactly the same as its current bottles, said Rocco Papalia, senior vice president of advanced research at PepsiCo.
"It's a beautiful thing to behold," he said. "It's indistinguishable."
PepsiCo says it is the world's first bottle of a common type of plastic called PET made entirely of plant materials. Coca-Cola Co. currently produces a bottle using 30 percent plant-based materials and recently estimated it would be several years before it has a 100 percent plant bottle that's commercially viable.
"We've cracked the code," Papalia said.
PepsiCo announced the discovery Tuesday and said it plans to test the product in 2012 in a few hundred thousand bottles. Once the company is sure it can successfully produce the bottle at that scale, it will begin converting all its products over.
That could mean a switch of billions of bottles sold each year. Of Pepsi's 19 biggest brands, those that generate more than $1 billion in revenue, 11 are beverage brands that use PET.
Scientists said the technology is important innovation in packaging.
"This is the beginning of the end of petroleum-based plastics," said Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council and director of its waste management project. "When you have a company of this size making a commitment to a plant-based plastic, the market is going to respond."
Coca-Cola said it welcomed other advances in packaging, but noted that it has scaled up use of its own plant-based bottle since introducing it in 2009. It also says it has demonstrated a 100 percent plant bottle in the lab and is still working to ensure it is commercially viable.
There are other plant-based plastics available or in development, but Herskowitz said these are not environmentally preferred because they typically use plants grown solely for that purpose rather than using the estimated 2 billion tons of agricultural waste produced each year. And these alternative plastics cannot be recycled.
PET plastic is a go-to material for packaging because it's lightweight and shatter-resistant, its safety is well-researched and it doesn't affect flavors. It is not biodegradable or compostable but it is recyclable.
A completely plant-based PET could change the industry standard for plastic packaging. PET is used in beverage bottles, food pouches, coatings and other common products.
Traditional PET plastic is made using fossil fuels, including petroleum, a limited resource that's rising in price. By using plant material instead, companies reduce their environmental impact.
Pepsi, based in Purchase, N.Y., said it has had dozens of people working on the process for years. While PepsiCo wouldn't specify the cost to research and design the new bottle, Papalia said it is in the millions of dollars.
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Source:
[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2011/0315/Pepsi-bottles-no-more-plastic[/url]
You should be able to consume the bottle after you drink the Pepsi. Now THAT would be something.
What if I want to read the GDA/sugar contents?
I would be more excited if it was biodegradable.
[quote]The new bottle looks, feels and protects the drink inside exactly the same as its current bottles,[/quote]
Except it makes the drink taste like fucking potatoes and grass
[QUOTE=Ringo_Satu;28691726]Except it makes the drink taste like fucking potatoes and grass[/QUOTE]
I like potatoes. :saddowns:
As long as it doesn't make their products more expensive I really don't care.
[QUOTE=Teh_Spork;28691710]I would be more excited if it was biodegradable.[/QUOTE]
Pepsi bottles, Pepsi bottles everywhere.
Impressive, I'd start drinking Pepsi over Coke just for the fact that it means relying on petroleum less. Good job, science!
Sounds good to me. Let's hope this takes over from regular plastic bottles at some point.
Unfortunately I simply can't give up Coca Cola. But I applaud what Pepsi is doing for the environment.
I prefer Coke, but I really don't care which one I drink.
Coke will always be superior but I'm glad Pepsi is doing something great for the environment.
hopefully other companies will be soon to follow
[editline]19th March 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Soldier32;28692245]Coke will always be superior but I'm glad Pepsi is doing something great for the environment.[/QUOTE]
it's not like the only pepsi product is pepsi
That's great. I'm only drinking Pepsi anyway because they only sell that shitty sugar free coke everywhere.
I love Pepsi. Don't know if these bottles will end up in the UK though.
Pepsi > Coke IMO.
[QUOTE=Teh_Spork;28691710]I would be more excited if it was biodegradable.[/QUOTE]
Your life must be really uninteresting if you get excited over a new biodegradable version of a bottle.
Pepsi or coke, they all taste like same shit.
Hell I bet they are all one company but they made two just so they don't get busted for monopoly.
It's still won't do anything about PET not being biodegradable. Just reduces the reliance on petroleum.
Sorry to burst your bubbles, but they still suck up a huge ammount of energy making these, the drinks and transporting them.
[QUOTE=johan_sm;28692976]
Hell I bet they are all one company but they made two just so they don't get busted for monopoly.[/QUOTE]
what
[QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;28693021]It's still won't do anything about PET not being biodegradable. Just reduces the reliance on petroleum.[/QUOTE]
It can still be recycled though. The overall environmental impact is much better than traditional plastic.
[editline]19th March 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=E1025;28693074]Sorry to burst your bubbles, but they still suck up a huge ammount of energy making these, the drinks and transporting them.[/QUOTE]
Well making normal plastic uses a lot of energy as well, and the transport costs won't be any different than before.
I got high from drinking from a pepsi bottle.
I was hoping for re-introduction of glass bottles.... I'm really sad now.
Farmers cover their plant beds with this black tarp made from biodegradable plastic so they can get shade.
It's made out of corn or something and its really weak, you can poke holes through it.
I wanna be able to tear my Pepsi bottle in half.
This is pretty cool, but soda in general tastes better in glass or metallic bottles.
Coke and Pepsi taste the same. The taste difference is purely psychological.
[QUOTE=Teh_Spork;28691710]I would be more excited if it was biodegradable.[/QUOTE]
it'd probably be even louder than that sun chips bag
[QUOTE=Ringo_Satu;28691726]Except it makes the drink taste like fucking potatoes and grass[/QUOTE]
Have you ever had Pepsi? That's not much worse than how it usually tastes.
[QUOTE=garrynohome;28692048]Unfortunately I simply can't give up Coca Cola. But I applaud what Pepsi is doing for the environment.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Soap_N_Go;28692187]I prefer Coke, but I really don't care which one I drink.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Soldier32;28692245]Coke will always be superior but I'm glad Pepsi is doing something great for the environment.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=brandonsh;28692877]I love Pepsi. Don't know if these bottles will end up in the UK though.
Pepsi > Coke IMO.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Dr. Fishtastic;28694282]Coke and Pepsi taste the same. The taste difference is purely psychological.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Paramud;28694422]Have you ever had Pepsi? That's not much worse than how it usually tastes.[/QUOTE]
[img]http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/6/67698/1595201-oh_look_its_this_thread_again_super.jpg[/img]
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