Last week, Rob Nash of the Illinois Beverage Association penned an opinion editorial highlighting how America's beverage companies are working together to decrease its plastic footprint and make investments to increase the collection of its 100% recyclable bottles.

Together, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper joined with preeminent environmental and sustainability leaders World Wildlife Fund, The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners to launch the Every Bottle Back initiative.

"The goal of Every Bottle Back is to decrease the use of new plastic by increasing the collection of plastic bottles so they can be remade into new bottles, reducing our reliance on new plastic and ensuring bottles don't wind up in places they shouldn't such as lakes and rivers or wasted in a landfill."

In the piece, Nash focuses on our industry's mission to modernize recycling infrastructure through partnerships with key environmental and sustainability leaders.

"We are doubling down on the beverage industry's commitments to sustainability and directing the equivalent of $400 million to The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners. These investments help strengthen community recycling infrastructure by modernizing technology to collect and sort recyclable plastic bottles and providing greater access to recycling.

Consumers also need to know that their efforts to recycle make a difference. That's why our partners will work neighborhood by neighborhood to help consumers recycle better and provide tools and resources to make it easier.

For this initiative to have an impact, it must demonstrate measurable results to reduce plastic in the environment. That's why Every Bottle Back is grounded by World Wildlife Fund's ReSource: Plastic program, which works with businesses to maximize their efforts to reduce their plastic footprint."

For more on how the beverage industry is working to get every bottle back, please click here.