Coca-Cola Develops Recyclable Displays

Atlanta — The Coca-Cola Co. wants retailers to give something back in the name of sustainability: its point-of-purchase racks. The freestanding "Give It Back" racks fit into Coke's larger plans. "This is the first step in a holistic merchandising program," says Karyn Froseth, director of shopper marketing capability. "It's not just about the materials that make up the rack; it's also about picking up those racks and recycling them after their useful life has come to a conclusion at retail."When developing the racks, Coke relied on data showing that "for 70% of shoppers, sustainability is a very relevant, decision-making theme," says Froseth. The racks are the first step in a closed-loop retail equipment program in which Coca-Cola creates recyclable in-store merchandise racks and then recovers, reuses and/or recycles the displays. "This is a pretty significant commitment we are making with our distribution system to ensure that these materials are recycled appropriately," says Froseth.Coke partnered with Memphis, Tenn.-based International Paper to create the corrugated racks. The racks contain 100% recyclable materials, including 30% recycled content. More than 50% of the materials used to produce the corrugate racks are renewable wood or cellulosic fiber content sourced from responsibly managed forests as certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.Knowing that the base of the Give It Back racks may be exposed to wet conditions (most notably from floor mops), the designers used International Paper's proprietary ClimaGuard containerboard in several components. ClimaGuard is a medium that is said to virtually eliminate the wicking of water and maintain a display's stability without the use of wax coatings, ensuring that the rack remains 100% recyclable.Coke developed three designs: a larger footprint rack; a smaller, snack-size rack; and a Dasani-specific rack. "The rack is quite an engineering feat in itself," says Vince Voron, assistant vice president of creative excellence strategic design at Coca-Cola. "It will last a lot longer than any other corrugated rack we've had in our system."Voron says the company found inspiration for the rack design from other industries, including automobiles such as the Toyota Prius' unique shape and brand identity. "We added to those factors a unique material finish on our racks," says Voron. "We're hoping that this design and this rack encourages consumers to recycle cardboard and plastic."The company tested the racks for 90 days in some Price Chopper and Hen House Market stores in Kansas City, Kan., and in some Berkot's in suburban Chicago. The retailers provided feedback that Coke is using to make adjustments. Froseth says that while Give It Back is being placed opportunistically at retail now, a full national rollout of the display will take time as it must work its way through Coca-Cola's bottler system and onto 2012 retail planning calendars."We're at the beginning of this program for us, and are just starting to develop marketing strategies for the racks," says Froseth. "I certainly think there will be different ways that this will come to life in the marketplace, and we'll be exploring opportunities with our branch teams and our integrated marketing content teams."

Coca-Cola Develops Recyclable Displays

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

Related Images

Business Topic

Company

Market Segment