Neuman, William. "The Race to Greener Bottles Could Be
Long." The New York Times 16 Dec.
2011: A6. Web. 15 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/business/energy-environment/coca-cola-and-pepsico-race-for-greener-bottles.html?_r=1&ref=science>.
The Race to
Greener Bottles Could Be Long
Coca-Cola
and PepsiCo have been competing with each other for decades. Most recently,
they have been competing over who can become the most environmentally friendly.
Both companies have recently started developing plastic bottles that can be
made with plastic from plants, a green landmark that both companies would like
to reach, but neither wants to send the production of the bottles into
commercial scale until they have found a cost-effective way of doing it. Coke
has stated that it will have bottles made from plants available in a few years,
while Pepsi has said that it will test production of 200,000 bottles made from
plant-only plastic next year. The plastics that make up the plant-based bottle
are currently made from two components. 30% of the plastic is made from MEG,
which comes from sugarcane in Brazil, while 70% is PTA, which is made from
plant materials in the laboratory. Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the
National Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said that the
production processes involved in creating plastics from plant sources generated
smaller amounts of greenhouse gases when compared to plastics made from
petroleum. He also said though, that if crops are grown specifically for these
plastics, it will affect food prices and land conversion, so he recommended
that plant waste products like corn stalks are used. Both Coke and Pepsi have
claimed that they are simply trying to become more environmentally friendly,
and are not racing for the marketing benefits of being the first with a green
bottle.
It
is important that corporations with such influence as these two are focusing on
helping the environment and becoming more green. Other companies will probably
follow their lead and soon we will be living in a cleaner world. In addition to
the environmental benefit, all of this research into bottles will likely lead
to healthier bottles. With many plastic bottle having poor effects on the
health of the drinker, maybe bottles made from a more natural material will
have less harmful effects.
I
thought this article was very well written and easy to understand. It made the
processes that the companies are researching clear, and put them into simple
terms so that I could understand what was going on. I also like that the
article included the opinions of a leader of an environmental group, since he
would have the strongest opinion on the subject. This article was also an ideal
length; it was not too long to lose my interest, but it was long enough to
include all of the details necessary. Overall it was a good article, and it
peaked my interest in seeing these bottles sometime in the future.
In the longtime rivalry between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, there is now competition for achieving the most eco-friendly bottles. Both companies have begun research into the use of plants in the bottles, so that less plastic is used; yet this process is quite difficult. In a New York Times article, “The Race to Greener Bottles Could Be Long”, William Neuman discusses how the plant process is difficult because it is not only costly, but also food prices could be effected. Aidan was able to include the main points in his review of the article, and a major point that he discussed was the new tests that are being conducted. Pepsi is running tests in which 200,000 plant-only plastic bottles will be constructed to see if they are useful and compatible with commercial sale. If this process proves to be too expensive, then the eco-friendliness of the plant-only process would be less important than sales and creating a profit. Another point that Aidan mentioned covered the certain components of the plant-only bottles. In the Coca-Cola “green” bottles, 30% of the new plastic is made from MEG, while 70% is PTA. The difference in the components makes the road to eco-friendly bottles longer are there are several factors included. A third point that Aidan covered has to do with the food prices and land conversion that shall occur if the plant-only plastic is pursued. If plants were used widespread in plastic to create the bottles, then food prices would increase as more land is used to make the plants. Also, overuse of soil to create the plants would erode the soil.
ReplyDeleteAidan was able to cover the main points in his review of the article, yet there are some things that he forgot to mention. For instance, there will be plant waste products after this process is introduced, such as cornhusks and orange peels that will need to be disposed of. Is there is waste, then the major companies will have to develop recycling projects, which shall be costly as well. Another point relates to how current methods of producing the bottles releases green house gases, therefore effecting climate change. Therefore, if the plant process was adopted after further investigation and testing of methods, then the plant-only plastic would contribute to cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions.
Aidan was able to highlight some of the key points that were presented in the New York Times article, "The Race to Greener Bottles Could Be Long." Both Coke and Pepsi have been on the cutting edge of soft drink production and compete with each other in order to have the largest share of market power. This new green-bottle technology will turn their competition into something that betters the environment. Aidan also mentioned the approach of the scientists working on the project. Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the National Resources Defense Council, notes that these bottles will dramatically reduce greenhouse gases in production compared to the old petroleum based bottles. However, perhaps the most interesting point that Aidan included was the idea that the use of plants will greatly fluctuate crop prices. More plants will have to be grown for the purpose of making bottles. Hershkowitz proposed the idea of using old corn stocks from the United State's massive corn industry. This would help recycle some of the wasted byproducts of corn manufacturing and growing.
ReplyDeleteThe review could have been made better by including some more detail on the approaches of Coke and Pepsi. Aidan mentioned that Pepsi would release 200,000 bottles into the market to test, but did not really get into the main source of competition. Another area of improvement could be the inclusion of how Coke and Pepsi are marketing themselves as more environmentally friendly companies.
This review interested me because I have noticed how Coke and Pepsi are trying to use less plastic and switch to alternative resources in their products. I look forward to seeing what other companies will due in order to keep up with the Coke and Pepsi.
Coke and Pepsi are industries that have been competing with one another for a very long time. Aidan’s review of the article “The Race to the Greener Bottles Could Be Long” discussed how there is a new aspect to the Coke-PepsiCo rivalry: eco-friendly bottles. Aidan clearly discusses how both companies have been begun to develop plastic bottles than can be made with plastic from plants. There were many aspects to Aidan’s review that made it clear, concise, and enjoyable to read as a reader. Firstly, Aidan begins his review extremely well, for he introduces the topic at hand then goes into the specific details of the latest Coke-PepsiCo competition. Secondly, Aidan appropriately mentioned the opinion of the scientists working on the project, which gives the reader another perspective on the issue. Finally, Aidan brings about a very great point in mentioning that other companies will follow in either Coke or Pepsi’s lead in creating these eco-friendly bottles.
ReplyDeleteWhile Aidan’s review was nearly flawless, there were some areas that I believe could be improved on. Firstly, Aidan could have gone into further detail on how Coke and PepsiCo are trying to present themselves as eco-friendly companies. Also, Aidan could have gone into more detail in the waste of plants that obtaining plastic creates, and what solutions there are to dispose of this waste.
I found Aidan’s review of “The Race to the Greener Bottles Could Be Long” very interesting and informative. I find the fact of eco-friendly bottles from either Coke or Pepsi, or possibly both, very intriguing and I will keep my eyes open for any sign of eco-friendly products from these powerhouse companies.
Aidan did an excellent job with his review, and I enjoyed reading it. He did a very thorough job explaining the major topics that were discussed throughout the article in a way that was very easy to follow. He also did an excellent job explaining how the scientists involved went about the project, and the various methods that they used which was very beneficial to the review. The last thing that I really appreciated that Aidan did in his review was that he clearly told the readers how and why the companies involved began to plastic bottles which are made from plastic from plants. There were also a few places that Aiden could have improved upon. First of all, it was a little unclear as to how these companies are presenting themselves to the public as eco-friendly organizations. The other place that could have been improved upon is where the competition between these two companies relating to this area came about, and why it is still staying strong. Overall this was an excellent article and very enjoyable to read. It was especially interesting because this is something that I have noticed everyday when drinking Coke or Pepsi, and it was interesting to read about it from another person’s perspective.
ReplyDeleteAiden did a very good job reviewing the article about the race to ‘greener’ bottles in the soda industry. He did a very good job detailing the similarities and differences between Coke and Pepsi’s plans for greener bottle. Aiden was also successful in giving the details about the current composition of the green bottle and how they are not made of 100% plant plastic. Aiden did a good job naming specific scientists and counsels that are working on the issue, to help give the data more validity. I think the summery could be improved if Aiden were to give more detail about why these companies are so focused on green bottles right now and the environmental differences between plant and lab made plastic Aidan should have also given his opinion on which company he thinks is doing a better job. Overall I find this topic interesting just because I wonder if these companies actually care about the environment or if they just jest invested in the ‘green’ fad because they know it will help them look better in the public eye.
ReplyDelete