SLMG Beverages, a flagship company of Ladhani Group and a franchise bottler for Coca-Cola in India, on Wednesday introduced 100 per cent recycled PET bottles for the iconic cola brand.
The strategic leap not only reflects SLMG's dedication to environmental stewardship but also signifies a pivotal moment in the beverage industry's landscape in India, the company said in a statement.
"By significantly limiting its consumption of virgin PET, SLMG Beverages is reducing its carbon footprint, seamlessly aligning with the Indian government's ambitious target of 25 per cent recycled resin by April 2025 PET," it said.
The company said it supplies 90 per cent of Coca-Cola bottles in Uttar Pradesh, 100 per cent in Uttarakhand and has presence in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh as well. In Uttar Pradesh it has seven plants with a production capacity of 41 crore bottles a day.
It caters to more than 300 million people through its 1.5 million outlets, and a network of more than 1,500 distributors, including in rural areas, with highly successful bottling franchises across all the four states covering the entire northern belt of India.
"The introduction of Coca-Cola bottles made from 100 per cent recycled food-grade PET is a remarkable milestone in the beverage industry that underscores SLMG Beverages' resolute commitment to environmental stewardship," said S N Ladhani, Chairman and Managing Director of SLMG Beverages.
The recycled PET bottles will be available in 250 ml and 750 ml pack sizes and invite consumers to actively participate in this environmentally conscious initiative.
Made from 100 per cent food-grade PET (excluding caps and labels), the bottles feature the "Recycle Me Again" prompt, which can be read on the packaging.
Ladhani said, "When Coca Cola re-entered the Indian market, we produced the first Coca-Cola bottle in India then and are now proud to be the first bottler in India to launch the Coca-Cola brand in 100 per cent recyclable PET bottles." Vivek Ladhani, the executive director at SLMG Beverages, said PET plastic bottles have value beyond their first life. "Recycled PET is a big step in the right direction towards making the circular economy for plastic a reality in India," he said.
SLMG Beverages officials earlier this week met with UP government's chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra in Lucknow.
"We encourage all food industries in the state of Uttar Pradesh that use plastics to use proven and approved technologies so that the plastic can be recycled and reused for direct food packaging to help reduce PET bottle littering," the top UP bureaucrat said.
SLMG Beverages recently announced that it aims to achieve a turnover of Rs 10,000 million by 2025, and plans to open two new plants this year and triple its capacity by 2030, to meet the growing demand for beverages in India.
SLMG Beverages has been associated with Coca-Cola for more than 30 years, according to the statement.
