Coca Cola Japan Wants to Know if "Filling Your Own Bottles" Will Reduce Plastic Waste

Water dispensers align with Coca-global Cola's target of using 25% reusable packaging by 2030.

(Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Bottles of Coca Cola products

Coca-Cola Japan's Green Strategies

The necessity for recyclable and reusable packaging is becoming increasingly evident these days. In recent years, Coca-Cola Japan has been attempting to make its goods more environmentally friendly, such as removing plastic labeling from drinks and lowering the amount of electricity required to run its vending machines.

Their latest campaign follows the Coca-Cola Company's declaration that by 2030, 25% of its packaging will be reusable around the world. Reusable packaging, including returnable glass bottles, refillable PET bottles, and selling products through a classic fountain or Coca-Cola dispensers.

Coca-Cola Japan has been working on the Bon Aqua Water Bar project to help reach this goal. The Bon Aqua Water Bar is a self-serve water dispenser that provides users with five types of water: cold, room temperature, hot, and carbonated (strong and weak).

For 60 yen (US$0.52), users can fill any bottle with filtered water from the machine. Paper cups are available for 70 yen ($0.61) and come in two sizes: medium (240 milliliters [8.1 ounces]) and large (240 milliliters [8.1 ounces]) (430 milliliters).

Specialized 380-millilitre Bon Aqua drinking bottles are also available for 260 yen (including water) and are the only bottles that may be used to obtain carbonated water from the machine.

Partnering Up

According to the Coca-Cola Company, Bon Aqua Water Bar aims to make drinking purified water cheaper while reducing plastic pollution. The Water Bar was first tested at Universal Studios Japan in December of last year and is now being tested at Tiger Corporation in Osaka.

Fingers crossed that the effort contributes to Coca-Cola's goal of reducing plastic pollution. If that doesn't work, they can always enlist the help of a Titan or two to get people to recycle.

Coca-Cola Going Sustainable

It’s About Time: Pioneering Plant-Based Bottles May Soon End Plastic

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Coca-Cola and Carlsberg are teaming up to support a pioneering project that is set to produce ‘all-plant’ bottles for drinks.

Coca-Cola's sustainable packaging strategy strives to bring about systemic change in how bottles and cans are designed, manufactured, recycled, and reused. They believe they have a responsibility to solve the global plastic waste challenge. They claim to be using their scale and reach across markets to achieve sustainability goals, reduce trash pollution, and lower carbon emissions.

Why are companies going green?

Companies of all sizes are striving to go green for various reasons, but one of the most important is increased customer demand for more sustainable products. This is part of a larger trend of people becoming more aware of the adverse effects of consumerism and industrial production on the environment.

The spike in concern about single-use plastics is one significant illustration of this shift in consumer mindset and its implications on the industry. For example, in the United States, a 9-year-old kid is credited with starting the movement that led to global plastic straw bans with his grassroots "Be Straw Free" initiative, which grew in popularity far beyond his wildest dreams.