Coca-Cola Middle East has announced that all official FIFA World Cup 2022 venues in Qatar, including stadiums and fan zones, will use 100% recycled PET bottles for Coca-Cola beverages.
Coca-Cola Middle East’s pilot programme for 100% rPET bottles appears to be in line with Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) policies on responsible plastic recycling. It also marks Coca-Cola’s foray into domestically making 100% rPET bottles in the region. There will be 350-ml Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Fanta bottles available, as well as 500-ml Arwa water bottles.
In addition to their One Tide programme, the pilot of Coca-Cola Middle East’s 100% rPET bottles will substantially reduce the impact of single-use plastic products and unify the concerted efforts to end up leaving a sustainable lineage long after the FIFA World Cup 2022, said Eng. Bodour Al Meer, the SC’s executive director for sustainability.
Piloting the 100% rPET bottles for Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Fanta beverages and Arwa water during the championship marks a big milestone for their operations in the region, said Tolga Cebe, vice president and general manager of Coca-Cola for the Middle East. The goal of a world without waste by 2030 is to collect and recycle one bottle or can for each that is sold, so this is a significant step in that direction.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 sites reportedly have designated recycling bins, and Coca-Cola Middle East claims it will inform volunteers and spectators about responsible recycling through on-ground and on-screen messaging, ensuring recyclable plastic trash is put in the proper containers for recycling. The SC continues, and in an effort to finish the loop and leave a green legacy, plastic bottles that were separated and collected throughout the competition will be recycled and turned into rPET bottles in-country.
Al Meer stated, their immediate goal is to increase awareness of this issue, assist people in Qatar and around the world in reducing their dependency on single-use plastics, and promote sustainable habits.
The adoption of 100% rPET bottles was a step taken earlier this year by a number of businesses, including Fiji Water, which announced a redesign of two of its plastic bottles, and Accolade Wines and Taylors Wines, two Australian winemakers, who worked with Packamama to introduce liquor bottles reportedly made from 100% rPET and with a relatively flat profile to lower road transport emissions.