Five global consumer products companies have formed a working group designed to demonstrate and further develop the use of plant-based PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic.

The five companies, Coca-Cola Co., Ford Motor Co., H.J. Heinz Co., Nike Inc. and Procter & Gamble, have formed the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC). According to a news release issued by Coca-Cola, the PTC will be focused on accelerating the development and use of 100 percent plant-based PET materials and fiber in their products.

According to Coca-Cola, the collaborative builds upon Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle packaging technology, which is partially made from plants. The company says its PlantBottle has demonstrated a lower environmental impact when compared to traditional PET plastic bottles. Currently Heinz licenses the technology from Coca-Cola for some Heinz ketchup bottles in the United States and Canada.

“PTC members are committed to researching and developing commercial solutions for PET plastic made entirely from plants and will aim to drive the development of common methodologies and standards for the use of plant-based plastic including life cycle analyses and universal terminology,” says Coca-Cola in its news release.