Packaging pressures rise with the climate

New Coca-Cola bottles. Photo by Tia Rawlings

By Tia Rawlings

Concerns with the climate are increasing year on year.

So it’s not surprising that the pressure is rising for big brands to make changes to their packaging to reduce the impact it has on the planet.

The beer industry has previously been pressured to stop creating ‘six-pack rings’ plastic packaging to contain multipacks of beer.

This movement arose after several news stories were published picturing turtles with their heads and fins trapped in the rings.

With many beer brands not wanting to be associated with harming the turtles, many have changed their packaging making it ‘turtle safe’.

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Despite environmental concerns, it seems that the biggest problem that many people had with beer packaging was not that they could hurt animals but that they were ‘impossible’ to get into.

Big brands contribute more than their fair share of pollution towards the planet, but the public are partially responsible too.

Coca Cola’s new packaging

Coca Cola have redesigned their packaging on their plastic bottles so that the lid remains attached.

The company suspected that the public were not recycling their bottles and the lids, creating a bad image on their brand.

“All of Coca‑Cola’s bottles, including the caps, have been 100% recyclable for many years but not all are being recycled. Bottle caps are often discarded and littered,” it said in a statement.

“The new design means that the cap stays connected to the bottle after opening, reducing the potential for it to be littered while still giving consumers a positive drinking experience.”

However, some customers are not happy with this change.

“The lid being attached is definitely annoying, I get why they have done it, but it makes me want to buy cans instead now,” said Dante Evans, 29, Tesco Employee.