In an episode of “The Berenstain Bears” titled “Don’t Pollute (Anymore),” Brother and Sister Bear open the episode with the following poem: “When Bear Country’s cubs learn that pollution’s a fact, they help grownups learn to clean up their act.” The cubs of Bear Country aren’t the only ones looking to address pollution; recently, the American Beverage Association (ABA) and America’s leading beverage companies — The Coca-Cola Co., Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo — announced the launch of the Every Bottle Back initiative. The new initiative serves as an effort to reduce the industry’s use of new plastic by making significant investments in improving the collection of the industry’s valuable plastic bottles so they can be made into new bottles.
“Our industry recognizes the serious need to reduce new plastic in our environment, and we want to do our part to lead with innovative solutions,” said Katherine Lugar, president and chief executive officer of the ABA, in a statement. “Our bottles are designed to be remade, and that is why this program is so important. We are excited to partner with the leading environmental and recycling organizations to build a circular system for the production, use, recovery and remaking of our bottles.”