Coca-Cola in Hong Kong, represented by The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partner Swire Coca-Cola, is now using locally collected plastic bottles to produce new beverage bottles. The company says this marks the first time in Hong Kong that bottles are being recycled and remade through facilities operated within the Coca-Cola System.
Karlijn in ’t Veld, vice-president of operations for Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and Mongolia at The Coca-Cola Company, said, “Every locally produced 500ml Coca-Cola or bonaqua water (1.5L or below) you enjoy, there’s a good chance the bottle is now made from locally recycled plastic. This isn’t just about refreshing the world; it’s about making a tangible difference for a better Hong Kong, one bottle at a time.”
The bottles are produced using material processed by New Life Plastics (NLP), Hong Kong’s first food-grade-ready plastic recycling facility. Swire Coca-Cola, one of the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottlers, is a major investor in NLP. The facility is designed to process up to two million plastic bottles a day, though it currently handles less than 800,000, underscoring the need for greater community collection efforts.
A recent Coca-Cola Hong Kong survey of 1,125 local consumers found that while 67 per cent of respondents are trying to recycle as much as possible, most believe recycling infrastructure remains insufficient or inconvenient. Many also expressed concerns that recyclables are not properly processed.
In response, Coca-Cola in Hong Kong says it is continuing to increase the use of recycled material in its packaging and encourage consumer participation in collection. Since 2019, various Coca-Cola brands have incorporated recycled PET (rPET) into bottle production. bonaqua water (1.5L or below) and Coca-Cola (500ml) bottles have been made entirely from rPET, excluding caps and labels, since 2020 and 2024 respectively.
bonaqua has also introduced label-free bottles to reduce waste and improve recyclability, while Sprite and Schweppes have moved to clear PET bottles. Returnable glass bottles were reintroduced in 2022 for brands including Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Schweppes and bonaqua.
Iris Lee, general manager for Hong Kong and Macau at The Coca-Cola Company, said, “Through rethinking our packaging design, we’re using the power of our brands to educate and inspire our consumers to contribute to collection and recycling efforts. We will continue to recycle locally collected plastic bottles to create new ones through well-designed facilities.”
Richard Gould, director and general manager of Swire Coca-Cola Hong Kong, added, “We believe every package has value and life beyond its initial use. With the investment in New Life Plastics, we are helping to ‘close the loop’ so bottles can be recycled and remade locally.”
Coca-Cola in Hong Kong continues to collaborate with organisations such as Drink Without Waste and The Green Future Foundation Association to promote consumer education and community collection programs, including bulk collection initiatives in Tin Shui Wai and other residential areas.
Swire Coca-Cola said it will continue to develop new manufacturing technologies and sustainable packaging options. Gould added, “We are proud to be the first in Hong Kong to use locally collected bottles to make new ones through our own recycling and production facilities. We invite consumers to return their bottles, knowing they will be given a new life again and again.”
