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Green, it turns out, isn’t always the greenest option. Pla Tumbler 500ml

Although green plastic made from polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, is recyclable, it doesn’t always get recycled. Any additives, such as color, make plastic more difficult to repurpose, which means fewer facilities are willing to process it.

“There is no value for green [plastic],” Jan Dell, founder of environmental nonprofit The Last Beach Cleanup, told Adweek in February. “No one wants green. Green is waste.”

Beverage companies, Dell added, know this but continue using it instead of clear plastic to cultivate a “brand image.”

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Kathryn Lundstrom is Adweek's sustainability editor.

Paul Hiebert is Adweek's senior reporter covering data and insights.

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