The Coca-Cola System in Romania transitions to plastic bottles with caps attached to boost collection and recycling

The Coca-Cola System in Romania, consisting of Coca-Cola Romania and Coca-Cola HBC Romania, takes another step towards A World Without Waste – the global vision for a circular and sustainable economy: starting April, The Coca-Cola System introduces caps that stay attached to plastic bottles, on the local market.

The initiative is part of Coca-Cola’s ongoing transition to meet the provisions on closures of plastic beverage containers in the EU Directive on Single-use Plastics, this move is intended to boost the collection and recycling of plastic bottle caps – together with the bottles – to help reduce packaging waste.

The new cap design is also another milestone on Coca-Cola’s sustainable packaging journey – marked by a global commitment to collect and recycle a bottle or can for each one that it sells by 2030, and to go further, faster, where it can, to eliminate packaging waste.

In Romania, the company has already started production of bottles with the new cap attached for the non-carbonated soft drinks portfolio and will start the transition for carbonated soft drinks bottles in May.

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”We are aware of our role in keeping packaging out of nature. We are working, through various solutions, to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, where packaging is a resource, not waste. Innovation and investment in packaging design to make packaging more sustainable and encourage consumers to collect for recycling plays an important role in our strategy. As early as 2014, we introduced innovative packaging for Dorna natural mineral water, 30% of which is made from plants. We followed this up with the 2020 launch of our natural mineral water portfolio in 100% recycled PET, then the introduction of Keel Clip™, a collective packaging alternative to plastic foil. Today, 20% of the total PET-packaged portfolio is bottled in recycled PET and 100% of the Coca-Cola System soft drinks portfolio is available in recyclable packaging. We believe that a world without waste is possible, which is why we will continue our efforts to reach new milestones on this journey.” – Jovan Radosavljevic, General Manager Coca-Cola HBC Romania.

Coca-Cola System’s tethered closures solution marks an important step in its journey. The opening system is the still same as the standard bottle; however, the innovation is applied through a ring which, using a simple tab, makes the cap fit perfectly. The cap stays connected to the security ring on the bottle and the tab ensures a perfect opened position.

“The Coca-Cola System shares the EU’s commitment to improving packaging waste collection and recycling. Our goal is to help eliminate packaging waste as we work towards finding the most sustainable ways for people to enjoy our drinks, that are right for them and right for the planet. The new closure system of bottles was tested at Coca-Cola’s R&D packaging lab in Brussels to ensure that they not only deliver a comfortable experience for consumers and offer practical, hygiene-related, and functional benefits, but also meet the regulation’s requirements and the highest technical and safety standards. The transition to tethered caps is an opportunity to promote recycling messages, supporting our drive towards 100% collection of both bottle and cap.” – Paris Nikolopoulos, General Manager Coca‑ Cola Romania.

The cap is designed to make recycling more intuitive, making it easier to recycle the whole pack with the cap now attached. Extensive research and testing across Europe have helped to define and develop a consumer preferred solution, accompanied by clear communication to consumers about the new cap.

The transition to tethered caps will also be supported by an extensive communication campaign, developed in digital as well as in-store, to help familiarize consumers with the new caps.