Coca-Cola picks bio-EG supplier

Happy October! It feels like it has been awhile since I last posted. School is creating chaos on my grand blogging plans but the blogger will persist.

Finally, Coca-Cola announced it's long-awaited bio-based monoethylene glycol (bio-MEG) plans for its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) PlantBottle as the plastic industry has always been curious on how Coca-Cola will sustainably source its bio-MEG supply given that there are not a lot of producers out there for this material (only one source according to Coca-Cola).

For those who are not familiar with PET bottles, the resin is made from 30% MEG and 70% PTA (purified terephthalic acid) by weight. Coca-Cola's PlantBottle packaging is currently made with sugar-based MEG and petroleum-based PTA.

Coca-Cola announced last week that it has partnered with India-based JBF Industries Ltd. to further expand its bio-MEG supply. JBF Industries will build what they claimed as the world's largest facility to produce bio-based glycol to be located in Araraquara, Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes/year. The bio-based MEG will use sugarcane and bagasse for feedstock. The blog wonders how much sugar the facility will consume...

Xiemar Zarazúa, President, Brazil Business Unit, and Ronald J. Lewis, Vice President, Procurement & Chief Procurement Officer at The Coca-Cola Company.

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