PepsiCo Beverages Canada (Mississauga, Ontario; www.pepsico.com) has introduced the 7UP “EcoGreen” bottle, claimed to be the first soft drink bottle in North America made from 100% recycled, food-grade PET. The company said the development of the bottle involved the coupling of existing technology with the best sources of recycled PET and processing techniques to create a product that meets all regulatory requirements while being capable of holding carbonated soft drinks. The drinks conglomerate introduced what it claims to be the world's first PET bottle made entirely from plant-based resources early this year - see Plasteurope.com of 22.03.2011.

The introduction of the bottle in Canada will reduce the amount of virgin plastic consumed by over 2,700 t/y and will cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 30% compared with current 7UP production levels, while reducing energy consumption by more than 55%. The bottle will be available across all 7UP and Diet 7UP sizes from the beginning of August 2012. It will be produced in a number of PepsiCo manufacturing facilities across Canada – the company has invested USD 1m in production enhancements in its facilities, including resin handling systems and inspection systems.

PepsiCo Beverages Canada's long-term plan is to increase the use of bottles made from 100% recycled plastic. Although there will be an incremental cost to produce the 7UP “EcoGreen” bottle, the company plans to price the drink on a par with other soft drink brands.