Amid a global pandemic and when public health is our top priority, Earth Day reminds us that the need to protect both human and planetary health has never been greater. 

This Earth Day, we’re enthusiastic about where the next year, and the next five years, will take us as we embrace the importance of collaboration to protect the planet — by keeping plastic out of nature, building a sustainable future and developing a more circular economy. At the American Beverage Association (ABA) we’re working together with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to do just that.  

Last year, our organizations came together to lead a new initiative called Every Bottle Back. The initiative brought together The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo along with The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners to reduce the beverage industry’s use of new plastic through improved collection and recycling of PET plastic bottles in the U.S. 

Through this initiative, ABA and our member companies are investing in recycling infrastructure to increase the collection of our 100% recyclable bottles and reduce our plastic footprint. To support these efforts, America’s leading beverage companies are also educating consumers about the value of their plastic bottles and how they are intentionally designing them to be 100% recyclable. 

Through investment and collective action, we’re working to create a circular economy to ensure that all our high-value, 100% recyclable PET bottles are remade into new bottles as intended – and do not end up in oceans, rivers, beaches or landfills.  And that means we are using less new plastic overall. 

“The 50th anniversary of Earth Day offers a pivotal moment to pause and reflect on the progress companies have made in addressing their environmental impacts on the planet, but we can’t slow down now,” said Sheila Bonini, senior vice president, private sector engagement at the World Wildlife Fund. “Today more than ever companies need to embrace the power of partnerships. By coming together, our collective actions can help address some of the most challenging environmental problems we’re trying to solve. Through our partnership with ABA, we’re doing exactly that – pairing our expertise through ReSource: Plastic with the Every Bottle Back initiative to increase U.S. PET bottle recycling – a critical piece in solving the plastic waste puzzle.”  

This initiative will leverage WWF’s ReSource: Plastic accounting methodology – the ReSource Footprint Tracker – to help track the program’s progress on reducing companies plastic footprint year over year and identify opportunities to make additional impact. This type of collaboration across all sectors will help us solve the whole puzzle for the betterment of our planet. It’s clear, working together we’re better and have the ability to make meaningful impact. 

“At the American Beverage Association (ABA), the interruption of normal daily life hasn’t dimmed our commitment to help build a sustainable future,” said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association. “America’s beverage industry continues to work alongside the sustainability community to conserve resources and further reduce our impact on the environment. I am proud to call World Wildlife Fund our partner in this endeavor and hope this important partnership between industry and NGOs serves as a catalyst for others to do more to protect our plant for future generations.”