Plastic bottle caps are a significant contributor to ocean pollution, ranking among the top five deadliest forms of ocean trash, according to the North Sea Foundation.
Over the past three decades, beach clean-up activities have unearthed 20 million bottle caps, which pose a fatal risk to marine life when ingested.
In a move aimed at mitigating this environmental hazard, Coca-Cola has redesigned its plastic bottles to have the caps attached.
This change is currently being rolled out in European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The initiative aims to ensure that every part of the bottle, including the cap, can be recycled.
John Woods, the general manager of Coca-Cola Great Britain, expressed optimism about the redesign, stating,
"This is a small change that we hope will have a big impact."
The company believes that by attaching the caps, the likelihood of them ending up as ocean pollutants will be significantly reduced.
This isn't Coca-Cola's first foray into sustainable packaging. In 2022, the company partnered with Graphic Packaging in the United States to replace six-pack plastic rings with a fiber-based paper alternative.
This switch is expected to eliminate more than 75,000 pounds of plastic packaging annually from the supply chain.
Coca-Cola aims to have all its bottles in Europe comply with an EU law by 2024, which mandates that caps and lids remain attached to drink containers of up to 3 liters.
This is part of Coca-Cola's broader commitment to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one sold by 2025.
