Wal-Mart to Debut Coca-Cola's Line of Sustainable Apparel

Shoppers will soon be able to make a sustainable fashion statement, as select Wal-Mart stores across the country begin selling Coca-Cola "Drink 2 Wear" apparel made from recycled plastic bottles.

Coca-Cola said yesterday that it joined forces with Wal-Mart to support the mass retailer's Earth Month program designed to highlight products that can help consumers live a more sustainable lifestyle. The manufacturer first launched its "rPET" line, which includes t-shirts, tote bags, messenger bags, caps, purses, and notebooks made from recycled plastic bottles, in 2007 at the New World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta.

The colorful t-shirts are made from a blend of recycled plastic bottles and cotton, and feature playful, pithy slogans such as "Make your Plastic Fantastic" and "Rehash your Trash," according to Atlanta-based Coca-Cola.
 
The t-shirt designs and imprinted messages on the men's and women's shirts are intended to promote recycling of used beverage bottles into renewable, reusable products, the beverage maker said. Accompanying graphics stamped on the inside of each shirt depict the act of recycling a plastic bottle and remind consumers to "re-fulfill a bottle's destiny and become something great again." The men's t-shirt features a "4 Inside" neck label; and the women's t-shirt features a "3 Inside" neck label to indicate the number of PET bottles recovered and reused to create each shirt.

Beginning this week, prominent Wal-Mart store displays will include a selection of Coca-Cola beverages in plastic bottles along with the t-shirts. Point of purchase signage will serve as an additional reminder to shoppers to recycle their used bottles.

The Coca-Cola "Drink 2 Wear" t-shirt line will be supported by a television, radio, and print advertising campaign that began airing on March 30.  The shirts will be available at select Wal-Mart stores across the country and on Wal-Mart.com.
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