FDBusiness.com

Coca‑Cola Enterprises (CCE), which manufactures, bottles and markets Coca-Cola products in Western Europe, has commenced a ground breaking study with ten households in Great Britain to understand why recycling rates are so low despite people expressing strong beliefs towards environmental behaviours.

Preliminary research commissioned by CCE and carried out by YouGov, shows that 76 per cent of British consumers claim to “always” recycle plastic bottles at home and over 64 per cent view recycling as “a moral and environmental duty”. However, actual at‑home recycling rates do not reflect such intentions and reveal a significant ‘value‑action gap’ as half of all plastic bottles are not collected for recycling. In addition to creating unnecessary waste, this also results in a critical shortage in the supply of locally available high‑quality recycled PET for manufacturers.

The release of the initial survey findings marks the next phase of a ground breaking six months study with a renowned research institute at the University of Exeter.

Supported by CCE’s Recycle for the Future campaign, the study will observe ten GB households over a six‑month period, to explore the dynamics that drive waste and recycling behaviours in the home. Together with the participants, they will also explore solutions that could influence such behaviours and eventually improve at-home recycling rates. Results will be shared with local authorities, NGOs and other businesses who are trying to influence environmental behaviours in the home, with the aim of collectively developing solutions that will help improve recycling rates.

CCE has identified that packaging accounts for almost half of its carbon footprint. As part of its commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its products by a third by 2020, the company has committed to recycle more packaging than it uses.

The study follows significant investment from CCE in a strategic infrastructure partnership to increase plastics reprocessing capacity in Great Britain.