Environment

The Co-operative Group has rolled out 100% recycled PET (rPET) plastic bottles across its entire own-brand range of carbonated drinks and mixers, working in partnership with its supplier, The Silver Spring Mineral Water Company.

The move to 100% rPET plastic bottles for these beverages, along with the retailer's own-label 330ml sportcap juice drinks, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,212 tonnes and save 808 tonnes of new plastic from being made per annum.

The bottles are fully recyclable and can be collected and recycled alongside regular PET bottles.

The retailer ultimately hopes to roll out rPET bottles across its entire own-brand beverage range where PET plastic bottles are used.

Iain Ferguson, commercial packaging manager of The Co-operative Food, said: "Our members and customers have told us they want to see action on packaging, so we are delighted to be the first major retailer to roll out 100% rPET bottles across our carbonated drinks and mixers range.

"This follows similar initiatives by The Co-operative, such as the launch of the world's lightest whisky bottle and the introduction of 'naked' cucumbers last year, when our whole cucumbers were stripped of their plastic wrapping."

The switch to rPET follows the launch of The Co-operative's Food Ethical Policy earlier this year, based on the world's largest consumer poll on ethics.

More than 100,000 of its members and customers said action to safeguard the environment was one of their top priorities and 97% endorsed its aim to reduce waste and increase recycling. As a result, the retailer announced that it was dramatically reducing the weight of its own-brand wine bottles.