Asahi Soft Drinks Adopts Beverage Industry's First Natural Decomposable Label

In the spirit of the eco-friendly Expo 2005 Aichi world exposition that was held in Japan this year, in central Japan Asahi Soft Drinks Co. is selling a blended tea drink named "Asahi Juroku-Cha" in a PET plastic bottle. In mid-July, the company started using environment-friendly and vegetable-based material to manufacture labels for 2-liter and 500-milliliter plastic bottles.

The labels contain polylactic acid (PLA) made from corn starch. PLA is vegetable-based, biodegradable plastic that decomposes in soil naturally. Because it is made from plants, its use helps to reduce the use of petroleum resources, as well as carbon dioxide emissions when disposed.

This is the first attempt in the Japanese soft drink industry to use PLA plastics in labels.



Posted: 2005/11/11 11:32:26 AM
Japanese version