• Brandweek, Thursday, April 10, 2008 10:32 AM

Saddled with complaints from environmentalists that its plastic bottles are clogging landfills, Coca-Cola has come up with a unique solution: turning recycled bottles into "Drink 2 Wear" apparel. It has also introduced a line of rPet merchandise that includes tote bags, caps, purses and notebooks made from plastic bottles.

This week, T-shirts that read, "Make your plastic fantastic" and "Rehash your trash" will appear at nearly 400 Wal-Mart stores as well as at Walmart.com. They retail for about $7.50. "These fun T-shirts merge trend with consciousness, reminding shoppers that small steps like recycling a few bottles can go a long way towards helping preserve our environment," says Stuart Kronauge, VP/marketing at Coca-Cola North America.

Coke's overall goal is to recycle or reuse 100% of the bottles and cans in the U.S. marketplace. It claims to have spent $60 million on recycling programs. The Atlanta-based company has also reduced the amount of plastic used for Dasani bottles by 30%. Twenty-ounce contour bottles plastic usage was reduced by 5%.

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