In 2006 The Coca-Cola Company approached Emeco, a leading US furniture manufacturer, with a proposal they hoped would change consumer behaviour towards recycling plastic bottles. The result? A stylish chair inspired by Emeco’s iconic Navy Chair, first produced in aluminium in 1944 for the US Navy.

The 111 Navy Chair debuted at the Milan Furniture Show, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, in April 2010 and went on sale through selected retailers in over 30 countries worldwide, as well as direct from the manufacturer, in June 2010. They are available in six colours: Coca-Cola Red, Snow, Flint, Grass, Persimmon and Charcoal.

As 1 500 bottles of water are consumed every second in the US alone, this new addition to The Coca-Cola company’s range of recycled products is to be welcomed. It is estimated that more than three million PET plastic bottles will be repurposed annually for the production of 111 Navy Chairs.

“The 111 Navy Chair is a reflection of our commitment to sustainability, constant innovation and originality in design,” said Kate Dwyer, Group Director, Worldwide Licensing, The Coca-Cola Company. “This latest addition to our line of rPET licensed merchandise underscores the fact that Coca-Cola bottles are valuable recyclables. It is another step in our vision to recover and reuse all of our bottles and cans.”

“When Coca-Cola approached me with this project I jumped on it,” said Gregg Buchbinder, Chairman of Emeco. “Although reengineering a core product is a significant investment for us, I was excited about the impact of reusing the PET from about three million plastic bottles a year. That’s a lot of bottles and a lot of chairs. The new chair is the strongest, and most beautiful we can make. We’ve turned something many people throw away into something you want and can keep for a long, long time.”

How great would it be to see similar stylish, earth friendly alternatives in South Africa – using local resources.

Read more about the 111 Navy Chair at http://emecowithcoke.com