Gevo, Coke Team Up on Eco-Bottles

Renewable chemicals and biofuels firm Gevo Inc. has reached an agreement with The Coca-Cola Company to supply renewable para-xylene for the beverage giant’s bottles.

The para-xylene is to be made from plant-based isobutanol and will be used in the manufacture of Coke’s second generation PlantBottle.

The work will take the technology from lab-scale to commercial-scale. In this next generation of PlantBottle packaging, Coca-Cola plans to produce bottles entirely from renewable raw materials.

Isobutanol is a four-carbon fermentation alcohol that can be converted into para-xylene using chemical processes. Para-xylene is a key raw material in PET production.

Gevo has previously supplied Japanese chemical giant Toray with lab-scale quantities of renewable para-xylene. The Japanese company has successfully converted Gevo’s para-xylene into PET films and fibers.

In February, Heinz and Coca-Cola announced a partnership under which Heinz will start using the first generation of Coke’s PlantBottle packaging for all 20-ounce ketchup containers.

The Heinz PlantBottles launched in June and carry labels with a special logo asking, “Guess what my bottle is made of?”