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Coca-Cola Bottler Cuts Carbon with Returnable, Resealable Glass

Coca-Cola HBC has opened a new high-speed returnable glass bottling (RGB) line to support its efforts toward achieving net zero emissions by 2040.

The new line expands the range of returnable products in the Coca-Cola HBC portfolio to include Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in a 400-mL glass bottle for at-home and on-the-go consumption.
The new line expands the range of returnable products in the Coca-Cola HBC portfolio to include Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in a 400-mL glass bottle for at-home and on-the-go consumption.

Coca-Cola HBC, a strategic bottling partner to The Coca-Cola Co., invested €12 million ($12.67 million) in a reusable, refillable, resealable bottle packaging line at its Edelstal, Austria location. The investment was supported by a €4 million ($4.22 million) grant from the Austrian government as part of its fund for beverage companies and retailers to enable a circular economy for packaging.

The new line, which the company says is more water and energy efficient than traditional packaging lines, will produce a new 400-mL returnable and resealable glass bottle for the Austrian market. This is a first across Coca-Cola HBC’s 29 markets and is aimed at the on-the-go market and at-home consumption.

“For some years now, Coca-Cola HBC Austria has been at the forefront of pioneering new sustainable solutions, and we’re delighted that our focus on investment, innovation, and partnerships are helping us to meet our goal of delivering our drinks in more sustainable ways,” says Zoran Bogdanovic, Coca-Cola HBC CEO, of his company’s roadmap to its Net Zero by 2040 goal and contribution to a circular economy for packaging. “Austria is already one of our fastest-growing markets for reusable packaging and this new line will further accelerate this packaging type, which is in demand by our customers and consumers alike. As returnable packaging options offer a reduced carbon footprint, this new line in Austria further supports our Net Zero by 2040 goal. We’re grateful for the partnership with the Austrian Government as we work together towards a common goal of a greener business model and a better environment.”


   Read about other Coca-Cola HBC sustainability initiatives, including its move to corrugated multipack bottle carriers for 1-L bottles, or Keel Clip can carriers for multipacks of 8- and 12-oz cans of Coca-Cola. 

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