Coca-Cola introduces 100% recycled plastic PET bottles for the first time in Malaysia

Coca-Cola Malaysia is making significant stride towards circularity in plastic packaging. On Dec 14, their nationwide launch featured Coca-Cola Original Taste and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 500ml bottles made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, excluding the caps and labels.

Coca-Cola currently offers at least one brand made from 100% recycled plastic bottles in over 40 countries worldwide, including Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and now Malaysia. The launch follows the company’s efforts to address the urgent issue of plastic waste and to promote sustainability in Malaysia. These efforts involve various strategic partnerships aimed at enhancing closed-loop circular packaging.

Earlier on Oct 11, Coca-Cola Malaysia, in collaboration with the American Malaysian Chamber Of Commerce (Amcham Malaysia), hosted the Our Future, Our Choice sustainability forum where key stakeholders, including the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad as well as the Malaysian Recycling Alliance (MAREA) were in attendance.

The panel discussed the role of post-consumer packaging in advancing the circular economy, stressing the importance of creating the right ecosystem for collecting and recycling plastics, while ensuring consumers understand the recycling process.

The Coca-Cola Company (Asean and South Pacific) sustainability and partnerships director Kirsten van Zandwijk stated: “Recognising the urgency and complexity of the plastic waste challenge in Malaysia, we acknowledge the collaborative efforts needed to address this issue.

“In line with our commitment to building a circular economy in the country, we are introducing innovative packaging designs like our new 100% recycled plastic bottles. These bottles align with our brand philosophy

of Dari Botol Jadi Botol, emphasising that every bottle has a second life. We are also expanding collection and recycling programmes and deepening stakeholder and industry partnerships.

“Leveraging the Coca-Cola brand’s influence and reach, we actively engage Malaysians in recycling initiatives, encouraging them to embrace the concept that every bottle can transform and contribute to a sustainable future,” she added.

This initiative aligns with The Coca-Cola Company’s global sustainable packaging strategy, aiming to use at least 50% recycled content in its packaging by 2030 globally.

A transformative journey

During the launch of the 100% recycled plastic bottles on Dec 14 in Kuala Lumpur, Coca-Cola Bottlers Malaysia (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) public affairs, communications and sustainability (PACS) director Khairul Anwar Ab Gahani and Coca-Cola Malaysia PACS frontline manager Wan Ahmad Syazwan Mohamed tabled a panel discussion to address key questions of interest.

“Our World Without Waste vision, a strategy to which we’ve been committed since 2018, demonstrates our dedication to sustainable packaging.

“Recognising the important role of businesses in driving change, we stay focused on improving the collection of post-consumer packaging and are now progressing towards a circular economy,” said Wan Ahmad.

He also notes that the recycled PET (rPET) bottles have been well-received in other countries so far.

“When we observe our consumers, particularly those who belong to Gen Z or younger, they are already aware of the environmental and sustainability issues we are addressing. Moreover, the recycled PET (rPET) bottles have been well-received in other countries so far,” he said,” he said.

Khairul Anwar added: “Our aim is to persistently use recycled materials, contributing significantly to Malaysia’s environmental goals.

“Through active involvement in sustainable practices and promotion of the circular economy, we aim to make lasting contributions towards a more sustainable future.”

Khairul Anwar also stated that the launch of the bottles is an important step towards reducing carbon emissions and reducing reliance on virgin resources.

“Essentially, we want to ensure that our products don’t end up on a beach somewhere. Instead, we aim to have our products collected and recycled by our partners to be reused as packaging materials in the future,” he said.

The 100% recycled PET plastic bottles (excluding the cap and labels) maintain the high-quality consumers expect, adhering to The Coca-Cola

Company’s stringent global standards for food-grade, 100% recycled plastic bottle packaging.

Together with its bottling arms, Coca-Cola Bottlers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Coca-Cola is driving innovations in packaging and enhancing collection recycling capacity in Malaysia.

The 100% recycled plastic bottles undergo local processing and manufacturing in the Coca-Cola bottling plant at Bandar Enstek in Negri Sembilan, proudly symbolising their Malaysian origin.

This commitment echoes Coca-Cola’s dedication to sustainability, reflecting that these bottles are “made in Malaysia, by Malaysians, for Malaysians.”

The bottles prominently feature the slogan Dari Botol Jadi Botol, signifying the transformative journey each bottle takes.

Coca-Cola Malaysia ‘Recycle Me!’ campaign

Prior to the launch of the 100% rPET Bottles, Coca-Cola Malaysia once again initiated its Recycle Me! campaign for the second consecutive year, aiming to raise awareness and drive action regarding the importance of plastic segregation and recycling.

The sustainability initiative, in collaboration with Aeon Malaysia, Hiroyuki Industries and Trash4Cash, intends to promote public awareness around the value of recycling.

Consumers are encouraged to collect PET bottles in exchange for cash rewards based on their contributions.

For every 10 bottles deposited, participants are eligible for a RM0.10 Trash4Cash buy-back incentive, complemented by Coca-Cola products.

Consumers can now scan the QR code on the smart recycle bin to provide their details, facilitating a seamless and efficient experience for all participants.

This year, Coca-Cola Malaysia and its partners are expanding their efforts to 15 Aeon malls across five states – Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor.

Collected bottles are then transported to the leading recycler, Hiroyuki Industries, where they undergo a process to be transformed into another bottle at a later stage.

For more information about sustainability initiatives and future announcements from

Coca-Cola Malaysia, please visit its Facebook and Instagram pages, or check out the Coca-Cola Malaysia website.