Pacific PET recycling program

CCEP expands circular economy efforts with Pacific PET recovery program

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) is extending its recycling capabilities beyond Australia by launching a regional PET recovery initiative aimed at improving plastic circularity across Pacific Island nations.

Developed in collaboration with Circular Plastics Australia PET (CPA), the program enables community-collected PET plastic from countries with limited recycling infrastructure to be transported to Australia and processed into food-grade recycled PET (rPET).

The initiative has already reached a key milestone, with its first shipment—9.4 tonnes of PET collected in Vanuatu—arriving in Melbourne for processing at CPA’s Altona North facility. Additional shipments from Fiji and Papua New Guinea are scheduled, as the program expands across Tonga, Samoa and other Pacific nations. Pacific PET recycling program

This cross-border model is designed to address a critical issue: many Pacific Island countries lack the infrastructure needed to process PET waste locally, resulting in higher risks of plastic leakage into the environment.

---

Building a regional circular system

The program is expected to recover up to 2,000 tonnes of PET in its first year, with the potential to scale to 6,000 tonnes annually. Beyond environmental benefits, it also supports local economies by creating collection systems that provide income opportunities and reduce litter.

CCEP has worked with local partners to establish community-based collection networks, where plastic bottles are gathered, processed into flakes, densified, and then exported to Australia for recycling into high-quality rPET suitable for food-grade packaging.

According to Orlando Rodriguez, Managing Director of CCEP Australia, the initiative demonstrates how circular economy solutions can operate across borders:  Pacific PET recycling program

“Creating true circularity in the Pacific requires solutions that go beyond national boundaries… this model shows that even regions with limited infrastructure can participate in a modern circular economy.”

---

Leveraging existing recycling capacity

The initiative builds on Australia’s established recycling infrastructure. CPA—backed by partners including Pact Group, Cleanaway and Asahi Beverages—was originally designed to process PET bottles collected through container deposit schemes and kerbside systems.

By incorporating material from Pacific Island nations, these facilities can increase throughput while supporting a broader regional circular economy. Recycled resin produced at CPA plants is already used by beverage manufacturers to produce new bottles and by packaging companies for food-grade applications.  Pacific PET recycling program

Each CPA facility in New South Wales and Victoria is capable of processing the equivalent of around one billion PET bottles per year, positioning Australia as a potential recycling hub for the wider Pacific region.  Pacific PET recycling program

---

Part of a broader sustainability strategy

This initiative aligns with CCEP’s wider sustainability commitments, which include increasing recycled content in packaging and improving collection rates globally. The company reported that over 75% of its bottles and cans are already collected for recycling, with recycled PET accounting for a growing share of its packaging mix.  Pacific PET recycling program

In the Pacific specifically, collection programs are already showing impact. For example, CCEP operations in Papua New Guinea recovered more than 29 million PET bottles in 2025 alone, highlighting the scalability of structured collection systems in the region.

---

A model for global collaboration

As global attention turns toward climate and sustainability discussions, including upcoming international negotiations, the program highlights how industry-led collaboration can help close infrastructure gaps and scale circular economy solutions across regions.

By connecting local collection systems in the Pacific with advanced recycling infrastructure in Australia, CCEP’s initiative offers a practical model for reducing plastic waste, supporting communities, and accelerating the transition to circular packaging systems worldwide.

Europe rPET Flake Demand Rises as PET Prices Surge and Volumes Drop: 5 Warning Signs

More…