This week PepsiCo has launched amid much fanfare, the world’s first soda bottle made entirely from plant-based materials. In constant competition with the Coca Cola company, which is currently producing a bottle using 30 percent plant-based materials, PepsiCo Inc claims that its new bottle made from a common form of plastic known as PET, trumps all that came before it when it comes to reducing potential carbon footprints.

The components of the new bottles are not kept under lock and key in a secret vault stashed in some mysterious and very misty place like the formula for the drink itself might be. They are definitely the proud byproducts of Mother Nature herself, ranging from cornhusks and orange peels to potato scraps and pine bark, just to mention a few.

The good news is that this new bottle will not go unnoticed in the soda industry, and silently but surely it will push the establishment of a new standard for sustainable bottles. Even better news is the fact that the new bottle protects the drink just as effectively as those currently in use.

PET plastic is very effective, well researched and is currently employed in the food industry, although formerly it was made by using fossil fuels and not plant materials. It is lightweight and shatter-resistant and does not in any way affect the flavor of the drink. This plastic is recyclable and costs about the same as others of its ilk, although it is not biodegradable or compostable.

One question remains:

Would PepsiCo have gone the extra mile if their competitor had not taken the first step for improved sustainability with their bottling first?