Coca-Cola and Boots have incorporated recycled PET (rPET) in bottles containing their products as part of a UK project.

The project, funded by Wrap, has already seen Marks & Spencer working in conjunction with Closed Loop London on award-winning packaging using rPET. Coca-Cola is testing different types of rPET, such as flake and pellet, at 25% inclusion rates and around 1,000 tonnes of rPET will be used in total during the trial. Martin Rodgers, rPET project manager at Coca-Cola Enterprises, said: "We are excited about this project and we anticipate that over 150 million 500ml bottles will be manufactured during the course of this trial.”

Wrap said the Boots trial provides the opportunity to research the use of rPET in a non-food sector. Boots’ Ingredients range of hair care products are being packaged in bottles with a 30% rPET content. Wrap materials development manager Peter Skelton said the organisation is “very happy” with progress in the project, which is due to end in March 2006. “The project partners’ enthusiasm to continue and not see it as a one-off has been very encouraging.”