Coke unveils bottle partially made from plants

Coca-Cola has introduced a new bottle that is 30 per cent derived from plant-based waste material.

The new bottle, marketed under the name PlantBottle, will besold throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

"The Coca-Cola Company has become the first-to-market with a recyclable PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottle made partially from plants, and we are excited that Canada is part of this major step in our journey towards sustainable packaging," said Nikos Koumettis, president of Coca-Cola Canada, in a news release.

PlantBottle packaging is made through a process that turns sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar production, into a key component of PET plastic.

The sugar cane being used comes from predominantly rain-watered crops that were processed into ethanol, not refined sugar. Ultimately, the company's goal is to use other types of plant-based waste, such as wood chips or wheat stalks, to produce recyclable PET plastic bottles.

PET is among the most recyclable forms of plastic and because it is recycled in such large volumes is widely used in the production of fleece material and carpeting.