PepsiCo announces a new plastic bottle made from 100% plant-based materials.

It seems PepsiCo has managed to create a bottle that looks, feels and behaves like PET plastic. In fact, from what I understand, it is PET plastic (recycling # 1).

The difference is that it isn’t made from petroleum. Instead, it is made from bio-based raw materials, including switch grass, pine bark and corn husks. At first, I wondered if this was just another breakthrough that was going to steal from the world’s food supply. But it seems it really is made from agricultural by-products.

This is certainly a huge advance in reducing our reliance on petroleum products. And I like that it is made from by-products that would otherwise be dumped.

But this isn’t a complete answer to our problems, because the bottles still gets thrown away after use. And, as I said, this really is PET plastic. Once the bottle is made, it is no longer a biological product, it’s a plastic product.

Yes, PET plastic is recyclable. But as we know, not all plastic bottles get put in recycling bins, and not all of the bottles that do get into the bins actually get recycled.

In other words, they have found a sustainable way to flood us with more plastic.

Yes, this is a big step forward, but it is only one out of two steps.

Step two will be to make a bottle that has the properties of plastic, but biodegrades after use.

The day I can put my used bottles into my compost bin will be the day I am ready to truly applaud.

BTW, if you would like to read PepsiCo’s press release on this new bottle, you’ll find it here.

Warning: The release is nauseatingly self-congratulatory, stuffed with all the usual PR nonsense like, “Building upon its heritage as an innovator and leader in environmental sustainability, PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) today announced...”

Why do companies say stuff like that? It’s as if they really believe that saying they are “an innovator and leader in environmental sustainability” will make us believe they truly are.

More about safe water bottles.