Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) announced today that two of its key brands, Snapple and CORE, will transition to using bottles made of 100% recycled (rPET) plastic. According to KDP, the initiative will eliminate approximately 46.3 million pounds of virgin plastic used by the company annually.

Monique Oxender, Chief Sustainability Officer of KDP, said:

“Transitioning to recycled plastic bottles for two of our key brands is a critical next step in Keurig Dr Pepper’s commitment to a circular economy. This important portfolio evolution enables us to offer consumers their favorite beverages, while meeting their desire for more sustainable packaging.”

KDP’s sustainability goals include a target to reach 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) packaging across its portfolio by 2025. Currently, across its more than 125 brands, 20% of the materials used in KDP’s packaging is currently made from (PCR) content. Today’s initiative will raise this level by approximately 4 percentage points.

According to the company, recycled plastic bottles help to lower greenhouse gas emissions by about 30%, compared to virgin plastic.  Switching to recycled plastic for Snapple and CORE is the equivalent of taking 7,500 cars off the road for one year, saving 35,000 metric tons of emissions from going into the environment.