Several major beverage brands like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Redbull would support new laws making producers financially responsible for the collection and recycling of post-consumer beverage packaging, says a new report by the San Francisco, Calif.-based shareholder advocacy group As You Sow.

 

Of the 224 billion beverage containers sold annually in the U.S. only 29 percent by weight are recycled; the rest are landfilled or incinerated, resulting in a huge waste of natural resources. In Europe and Canada, where EPR laws are in place, far higher levels of containers are recovered, states the report.

 

“Mature manufacturing companies are focused on methods to reduce costs and be more completive in the aggressive global economy. Green technology and methodology are somewhat new. Not in the sense of what it is and the benefits, but how to efficiently integrate green methods without major disruption to the normal manufacturing process,” explains Dr. Charles Perry, faculty in the department of engineering at Middle Tennessee State University.

 

“It is harder now than it was 25 years ago to sell a program that gives a reasonable return on their investment in three to five years. In today’s world that is an eternity. It can be done because some companies are successful. All the major beverage companies will have to ‘go green’ eventually because society will demand it and elected officials will pass laws to insure it. Proactive companies will see this and will start the process before being forced to comply,” he says.