Coca-Cola is taking a big step toward sustainability by replacing its plastic Dasani water bottles with aluminum cans. The change will take place in the northeast US starting this month, but will spread to the rest of the country by 2020. Competition seems to be driving this move, as it comes on the heels of Pepsi’s announcement in June that it would be replacing Aquafina bottles with aluminum cans starting in the new year. Aluminum bottles will be available in mid-2020, the press release stated.
Photo: Coca-Cola
Dasani Will Soon Switch From Plastic Water Bottles to Cans
According to the Aluminum Association, aluminum is the most recyclable of all materials. Unlike plastic, it can be recycled directly back into itself over and over again in a true closed loop if thrown in the recycling bin. Unfortunately, Americans throw away more than $700 million worth of aluminum cans every year.
Coca-Cola is taking it one step further by debuting HybridBottle, a bottle made of 50 percent plant-based renewable and recycled PET material (PlantBottle and recycled PET plastic), as well as experimenting with bottle weight to cut down on plastic use.
But the change isn’t purely out of concern for the environment. Given how important sustainability has become among consumers, companies cutting down on plastic is great for their bottom line.
It might be quite an adjustment to sip your water out of a can, but if that bothers you, you always have the option to purchase a reusable water bottle — a great way to cut down on waste. 