A thread to list all the latest Environmentally Friendly developments in the beverage industry, beverage producers have always been environmental leaders.

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Recyclers

PLA bottles would primarily displace PET bottles, which are presently a key part of successful recycling programs. Local recycling programs currently receive more than 20 cents per pound for the PET that they recover, and this high value is a critical part of the sustainable economics for recycling today. PLA bottles will most likely erode this system and its economics.

The existing recycling infrastructure needs to adjust and restructure to changing market dynamics, this form of lobbying is a form of protectionism.

If you look at other countries who have far superior recycling models than the United States then you could make a case for a change.

So if the recycling program in the USA bases its survival on PET, then it shows you need to look at other models that do not rely on PET for survival.

In the short term the most important question is who will pick up the tab for the change in recycling methods?

Maybe the current recycling industry needs support from government to make the transition.

Another question why is it that industry fails to keep pace with change, in the case of the PLA bottles, was the recycling industry clueless as to the developments of this new packaging material,

Recycling professionals started raising questions concerning PLA bottle recovery 18 months ago when this dialogue first began.

If the industry was worth hundreds of millions of dollars, did one person think to adjust the S.W.A.T analysis so as to include this form of threat to its economic survival.

Did they bother to collectively put $ into R&D to counter this threat with a solution. This is why America is a super power, it puts money into R&D and it gets the best people and implements the best technology to achieve the best results.

The strength in the current recycling industry's business plan, is its lobbying power.

And a final note, since oil is getting to be scarce and more valuable I doubt that even the richest country on earth could afford having PET bottles in the near future on the scale it currently has.

If the soft drink industry were truly "environmentally friendly" it would use refillable containers and support container deposit legislation.

isn't tap water a lot more environmentally friendly than bottled water... even recyclable bottles?

i mean, bottles are made from plastic, which is made from petroleum... which also requires energy to process.

so, shouldn't true environmentalists drink tap water whenever possible?

for the most part, tap water is just as good for you as bottled... and it also has flouride, which protects your teeth.

Originally Posted by popologist

isn't tap water a lot more environmentally friendly than bottled water... even recyclable bottles?

i mean, bottles are made from plastic, which is made from petroleum... which also requires energy to process.

so, shouldn't true environmentalists drink tap water whenever possible?

for the most part, tap water is just as good for you as bottled... and it also has flouride, which protects your teeth.

Bullseye...not to mention the environmental impact of transporting bottled water in trucks all over the country.