WASHINGTON – The American Beverage Association (ABA) continued today its Summer Innovation & Sustainability Conversation Series with a webinar featuring an exclusive conversation between ABA President and CEO Katherine Lugar and U.S. Senator John Boozman, co-chairman of the Senate Recycling Caucus and member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. ABA’s Summer Innovation & Sustainability Conversation Series is focused on bringing leading voices from the innovation and sustainability space together for unique conversations on how the public and private sectors can partner to achieve environmental goals and create a more circular economy. 

During today’s conversation, Senator Boozman highlighted efforts being undertaken by the Senate’s Recycling Caucus and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to improve recycling across the United States. Senator Boozman also described the federal government’s role in ensuring we recycle better as a nation, as well as plans for infrastructure improvements. 

“Senator Boozman’s thoughtful leadership on sustainability and recycling is impressive and incredibly timely,” said Katherine Lugar, ABA president and CEO. “We thank the senator for this leadership and his tireless efforts to boost recycling across our nation, and in doing so, helping to decrease the waste of valuable plastic. America’s beverage industry looks forward to partnering with leaders in the government and sustainability spheres to help protect our environment for future generations. Through collaborative efforts like our industry’s Every Bottle Back initiative, we are showcasing the potential, and importance, of public-private collaboration. We are working towards a future where our fully recyclable bottles don’t end up as litter in places they were never intended to be - such as oceans, lakes or rivers - by educating consumers and improving recycling infrastructure.”

“The Every Bottle Back initiative is the type of all hands approach that is needed to address an issue of this magnitude,” said Senator John Boozman of Arkansas. "I applaud the American Beverage Association and its partners for showing how industry, NGOs and non-profits can come together to help make a difference. The federal government can couple smart policies with private sector initiatives like this to make a dramatic reduction in the amount of plastic waste and help protect our natural spaces for future generations.”

Nationally, the Every Bottle Back initiative is measuring industry progress in reducing the use of new plastic, investing in key regions to improve the quality and availability of recycled plastic and increasing public awareness to remind consumers that beverage bottles are 100% recyclable and can be remade into new bottles.

These efforts support individual sustainability efforts undertaken by The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo. 

Learn more about the Every Bottle Back initiative at www.EveryBottleBack.org.

To schedule an interview, please contact the ABA media office at media@ameribev.org. 

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