PEPSICO UNVEILS BOTTLE MADE ENTIRELY OF PLANT MATERIALS

Yesterday, PepsiCo unveiled a new bottle made entirely of plant materials that the company says looks, feels and protects the drink inside exactly the same as the current bottles do. The new bottle is made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials, and Pepsi ultimately plans to also use orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business for the bottles. While not biodegradable, the bottles are recyclable, and creating them is more environmentally friendly since they are not petroleum-based, like regular plastic. It also gives Pepsi a leg up over competitor Coca-Cola, which currently produces a bottle that is 30 percent made up of plant-based materials. Pepsi will begin testing the bottles in 2012.