Would you have ever imagined that a Coca-Cola plastic bottle could be turned into a mobile phone cover, a ring, a model boat or a bracelet at the touch of a button from the comfort of your home?
Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am, together with The Coca-Cola Company, created EKOCYCLE to motivate brands to make things partly from recycled materials and make sustainable living cool.
Following last year’s successful participation at Science in the City, during which the science behind the manufacturing of a soft drink bottle was explained, Coca-Cola, through the local producers GSD Marketing Ltd, will this year be introducing the innovative EKOCYCLE Cube 3D printer.

“As local representatives of The Coca-Cola Company we are thrilled to be able to showcase the EKOCYLCE Cube,” said Stephen Bonnici, Public Affairs & Communications Manager of GSD Marketing Ltd. “This technology allows everyone, from students to artists and inventors, to actively experience recycling. It’s not just creating an object at home, it’s about changing how we view recycling”.
In its simplest terms, the EKOCYCLE Cube takes 3D printing to a different level, as it prints with a filament cartridge made in part from assorted post-consumer recycled Coca-Cola PET plastic bottles.

Each EKOCYCLE cartridge transforms the equivalent of three small bottles of Coke into anything, from wearable fashion accessories to desk decorations. The machine comes with a variety of 25 different patterns which could be used to create various everyday objects, available in red, black, white and natural.

“Waste is only waste if we waste it,” says global musical artist and producer Will.i.am. “With the EKOCYCLE brand, I’m on a mission to educate and inspire consumers around the globe to seek out more sustainable lifestyle choices that will ultimately play a part in the movement toward a world with zero waste.

“By making products that contain recycled materials more attractive to both businesses and consumers, everyone can do their part to keep the cycle going to turn discarded waste into cool, new items. The Coca-Cola Company shares this vision and together, working with local communities worldwide, we will showcase the greater value of recycling, as well as selecting products that feature recycled materials.”

Those visiting Science in the City, in Valletta on September 25, are encouraged to experience first-hand the EKOCYCLE Cube printer in action. It will be available at the Coca-Cola stand, nearby Pjazza Teatru Rjal between City Gate and Ordinance Street, from 6pm until midnight.