In early 2020, Coca‑Cola and its strategic EU bottling partners (Coca‑Cola HBC and Coca‑Cola European Partners) will begin rolling out KeelClip as a fully recyclable paperboard alternative to shrinkwrap on multipacks of up to eight cans.

The three partners have worked closely with Graphic Packaging International, developer of the KeelClip technology, to bring this sustainable packaging solution, which minimises the amount of paper/card required, to market.

This move, according to the partners, represents a first for the non-alcohol ready-to-drink industry and underscores Coca‑Cola’s commitment to pioneering packaging that’s more sustainable in terms of recyclability and overall environmental footprint as the company works towards its ‘World Without Waste’ global goals.

In October 2019, as part of these goals, Coca‑Cola European Partners committed to removing all unnecessary or hard to recycle plastic from its portfolio. A commitment that avoids the use of more than 11 000 tons of virgin plastic annually across its operational base.

All of Coca‑Cola HBC’s EU markets will switch over to KeelClip by the end of 2021, generating an annual saving of 2 000 tons of plastic and 3 000 tons of CO2. The bottler has also committed to removing shrinkwrap from all of its can multipacks across the EU by the end of 2021. Larger multipacks will be bound by a carton pack.

‘Innovation is a key principle of our sustainable packaging work and the application of KeelClip, which comprises a top board that the cans clip into and a central cardboard ‘keel’ – similar to a ship’s keel – that stabilises the pack, is another example of how we are delivering on our commitment of removing all unnecessary and hard to recycle single-use plastic from our products,’ comments Joe Franses, VP of sustainability at Coca‑Cola European Partners.

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