At the same time, Coca Cola is opening a new plant in the country, located in Heidelberg, southeast of Johannesburg which will fill Coca Cola's Valpré Spring water using the recyclable packaging.
The 100% recyclable PlantBottle?packaging is currently made by converting sugarcane into monoethylene glycol (MEG), which represents 30% of the total composition of the PET plastic by weight.
In a statement, Coca Cola said that it was working with its partners to crack the code on plant-based purified terephthalic acid (PTA) – which accounts for the other 70% of PET.
The news comes as Pepsi also announced that it is moving away from oil-based plastics to plant-based polymers.
In its first year, PlantBottle was launched in nine global markets, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Sweden and the US.
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Coca Cola said that its new Valpré plant will help the firm meet the needs of the increasing demand for bottled water in South Africa.
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South Africa's Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Bomo Molewa said: "The opening of the new Valpré plant in Heidelberg, and the launch of PlantBottle, supports government's mandate to create infrastructure, develop skills, increase the number of woman in the workforce and ensure sustainable development with a focus on miminising the impact on the environment.
"It is notable example of the kind of development that we encourage all South African industries to adopt."
South African National Bottled Water Association executive director Charlotte Metcalf, said both the plant and new bottle significantly advance the bottling industry's 'green' strategy.
She added: "With the new Heidelberg plant, Valpré will reduce its carbon footprint, lower its water usage ratio, adopt energy efficient lighting and production technologies, and boost its solid waste recovery, all while providing its market with a sustainable product packaged in a bottle that takes a giant step towards using renewable resource."
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