Czech brand Wild & Coco is revolutionizing food and beverage packaging with its compressed “Cocoguard Shot”, offered either pure or with a hint of mango or cocoa, all housed in a 100 per cent rPET bottle produced by Alpla.
The Cocoguard Shot accommodates 120 millilitres of coconut drink in a durable plastic bottle. Each pack contains six of these innovative bottles. By utilizing recycled PET material, Wild & Coco significantly minimizes energy and CO2 consumption during the packaging process. This strategic move effectively replaces heavier glass and aluminum with lightweight, shatterproof material, providing a convenient and transportable solution that suits everyday use. Notably, the tethered cap is also crafted from plastic.
During discussions about this successful replacement project, Marek Grueber, sales manager at Alpla in Bystřice, emphasized the advantages of using recycled material for the small bottle. “The customer target was a smaller bottle made of 100 per cent rPET,” Grueber explained.
He further elaborated, “Switching from glass to plastic and halving the volume from 250 millilitres (glass) to 120 millilitres (PET) also reduced the weight from 145 grams to 13.5 grams. We obtain most of the material from our own plants at ALPLArecycling.”
The project spanned roughly a year, transforming an idea into market-ready products. This period included product development at Wild & Coco, label design, rigorous packaging testing, and the establishment of a new filling line.
The adoption of pure plastic packaging delivers a significant reduction in CO2 emissions when compared to traditional glass-metal cap combinations. The carbon footprint is drastically lower—not merely as a result of the smaller packaging.
Grueber added, “We save around 80 per cent of emissions per bottle. The 120-millilitre bottle made of 100 per cent rPET with a plastic cap emits 44 grams of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e). For the glass bottle twice the size with a metal cap, it is 215 grams.”
From the initial development to series production, Alpla and Wild & Coco encountered several challenges, including the need to identify a bottle with an appropriate shape, size, and neck finish to accommodate the viscous consistency of the Cocofir filling.
“For the start, we opted for a standard version – a customised design could follow in the future. And, of course, we supported Wild & Coco with our expertise during the changeover to PET filling technology,” Grueber noted.
