The first shipment under the program, comprising 9.4 tonnes of community-collected PET from Vanuatu, has arrived in Melbourne for processing at CPA’s recycling facility in Altona North.
The initiative will roll out across Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu, with the program expected to recover up to 2,000 tonnes of PET in its first year.
CCEP said the initiative is designed to help address plastic pollution in Pacific nations where recycling infrastructure is limited and PET plastic often cannot be processed locally.
The company is working with local partners to establish community collection programs that provide income opportunities, reduce litter and prepare PET for export to Australia. The plastic will be flaked, densified and transported for recycling into food-grade recycled PET resin.
"By moving community collected PET into Australia’s established recycling system, we’re demonstrating that small island nations can fully participate in a modern circular economy, even when local recycling infrastructure is limited," said Orlando Rodriguez, Managing Director - Australia at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in a media release.
"It’s a powerful example of what industry collaboration can achieve, and we’re committed to scaling this model so more Pacific communities can benefit."
Additional shipments from Fiji and Papua New Guinea are expected to arrive in the coming weeks as the program expands.
CCEP said the initiative includes investment in early-stage processing equipment for Pacific communities, while Swire Shipping is providing pro bono ocean freight services to support transport logistics.
"CPA’s plastic recycling facilities were established to process PET beverage bottles collected through Australia’s container deposit schemes and kerbside recycling bins," said Justin Knott, General Manager Sales and Marketing at Circular Plastics Australia (PET).
"Incorporating additional material from Pacific Island nations is a natural extension of that capability and means we can recycle more PET into high-quality food grade resin and help underpin a circular economy that benefits the whole region."
The recycled PET resin produced at CPA facilities is used by CCEP and Asahi Beverages to manufacture new beverage bottles, while Pact Group uses the material for food packaging.
CCEP said the program could scale to process up to 6,000 tonnes of PET annually in the future.
(image credit: CCEP website)