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Coca-Cola invests in biotech to fast track a 100% plant-based bottle

The Coca-Cola Company invests in three biotechnology companies to help speed the development of a commercial-scale technology to create a 100% plant-based PlantBottle.

(l. to r.) Edwards, Gruber, Frazier, and van Aken
(l. to r.) Edwards, Gruber, Frazier, and van Aken

The Coca-Cola Company has announced multi-million dollar partnership agreements with three biotechnology companies—Virent, Gevo, and Avantium—to accelerate development of the first commercial solutions for next-generation PlantBottle™ packaging made 100% from plant-based materials.

This effort to commercialize a plastic bottle made entirely from plants builds on the company’s introduction and rollout in 2009 of its first-generation PlantBottle package, a recyclable PET beverage bottle made partially from plants. The Coca-Cola Company says that since its introduction, the company has distributed more than 10 billion PlantBottle packages in 20 countries worldwide.

The agreements with Virent, Gevo, and Avantium—all of which are involved in developing plant-based alternatives to materials traditionally made from fossil fuels and other nonrenewable resources—were signed following an in-depth two-year analysis of different technologies by The Coca-Cola Company’s R&D team and technical advisory board.

“While the technology to make bio-based materials in a lab has been available for years, we believe Virent, Gevo, and Avantium are companies that possess technologies that have high potential for creating them on a global commercial scale within the next few years,” said Rick Frazier, vice president, Commercial Product Supply, The Coca-Cola Company, at a live press conference in New York City this morning. “This is a significant R&D investment in packaging innovation and is the next step toward our vision of creating all of our plastic packaging from responsibly sourced plant-based materials.”

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