BURLINGTON, Mass. and PLANO, Texas, U.S. — Keurig Dr Pepper today announced its founding sponsorship of The Recycling Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition. The Company has committed $10 million over the next five years, alongside investments from industry peers, to increase and improve the recovery and recycling of polypropylene plastic in the U.S.
The Coalition will work to solidify polypropylene’s status as a standard curbside recycling material through projects that enhance collection, sortation and processing in recycling facilities which, in turn, will increase the value and supply of recycled polypropylene (rPP) and reduce the need for virgin plastic used in packaging.
This sponsorship supports KDP’s broader efforts to reduce its plastic footprint through circular solutions and collaborations.
The Company is on track to meet its commitments of making 100% of its packaging recyclable or compostable and incorporating 30% post-consumer recycled content (PCR) in its packaging by 2025. In 2020, KDP has continued to make progress against these goals, including:
- Expanding the availability of recyclable K-Cup® pods in the U.S., remaining on track to transition all pods to recyclable polypropylene by the end of this year;
- Increasing use of PCR plastic in Keurig® brewers;
- Incorporating post-consumer rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) in beverage bottles, with plans to begin transitioning the Company’s water portfolio and Snapple® beverages to 100% rPET bottles in the first half of 2021; and
- Enhancing transparency of its plastic footprint, as part of the World Wildlife Fund’s Re:Source Plastic activation hub.
“Along with advancing our own sustainable packaging commitments, Keurig Dr Pepper is also focused on driving meaningful change in the nearly 20,000 complex recycling systems currently found across the United States through targeted investments and collaborations like the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition,” said Monique Oxender, Chief Sustainability Officer, Keurig Dr Pepper. “Investing in partnerships that amplify our individual actions will enable us to truly drive progress in eliminating packaging waste by improving recycling infrastructure and enhancing consumer education efforts, both of which will increase the recovery of valuable plastics.”
With this investment, Keurig Dr Pepper has committed to providing over $30 million in collaborative projects and partnerships across North America to encourage the circular economy. Other projects in which KDP has invested include the American Beverage Association’s Every Bottle Back initiative, the Closed Loop Fund and several initiatives led by The Recycling Partnership, Keep America Beautiful and the World Wildlife Fund.
