• Coca-Cola Beverages Florida projects saving an average of 160K gallons of water each week  
• Coca-Cola Beverages Florida eliminating single-use chemicals on all of its can/bottle warmers by 2026  

Today, food processors face the dual challenge of achieving sustainability goals and guaranteeing product safety. Water conservation is especially vital in Florida due to limited water resources, fragile ecosystems, and the need to manage costs associated with population growth and potential water shortages. Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, with water being a major ingredient in beverage production, prioritizes water savings in its sustainability initiatives. The company worked together with BIOIONIX to develop the solution to recondition and reuse its warmer process water. Together, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida and BIOIONIX are working toward the "path to zero," a progressive journey to eliminate chemicals from FoodBev processing.  

BIOIONIX reconditions and disinfects bottle/can process water for reuse  

While the bottle/can warmers were fully functional, their operation and maintenance incurred high costs due to significant expenses for water, chemicals, and labor. This also led to issues such as single-use chemical waste, equipment damage, daily water disposal,  and a dependency on third parties. Addressing these challenges presented a substantial opportunity for the bottler to improve efficiency, reduce risks, and achieve sustainability goals.   

BIOIONIX's three-tier disinfection technology, featuring nanobubble cleaning, optimizes bottle/can warmer and cooler operations. This advanced system reconditions and disinfects water for reuse, eliminating the need for chemicals and reducing daily water discharge. By effectively removing particulates, including tough substances like belt  

grease, through flocculation, BIOIONIX ensures a continuous supply of clean process water. This approach significantly boosts productivity, sanitation, and sustainability.  Managing line lubrication was a significant challenge for the bottler, as it previously contaminated water, requiring daily dumping and weekly CIP. BIOIONIX provided a unique solution to disinfect and clean the process water, eliminating the need for dumping.  

The BIOIONIX system reconditions water in a closed loop, with each tier contributing to this goal:  

Tier 1: An electrical current eliminates all pathogens.  

Tier 2: A stream of activated water treats the entire warmer on the production line.  

Tier 3: Nanobubble activation thoroughly scrubs and cleans all surfaces, reaching into every crevice. The nanobubbles flocculate oils and grease for easy removal.  

The result is disinfected and crystal-clear water.  

The Florida bottler achieved both tangible and intangible returns on investment (ROI) by saving money, time, and 90% of its water for reuse. It has also reduced potential safety risk with the elimination of chemicals and heat in the CIP process. They continue to apply the solution to new applications, aiming for the same goals of chemical elimination and water conservation. This aligns with growing consumer interest in sustainable food and beverage production, leading them to support organizations with such missions. This is just one of the sustainable actions the bottler is working on. Coca-Cola Beverages Florida is marking a milestone 10-year anniversary, symbolizing a decade of sustainable practices, community integration, and innovative developments in the state of Florida.  

Outcomes:  

Enhance Productivity:  

·    90% Decrease in CIP duration  

·    100% Manual Labor Reduction  

Improve Sanitation:  

·    100X More Effective than Bleach  

·    66% Decrease in Process Water Turbidity  

Sustainable:  

·    97.2% Water Usage Reduction & 99.9% Electricity Reduction   

·    98.6% Single-Use Chemical Cost Reduction 

For twenty years, BIOIONIX has led the way in offering chemical-free food safety solutions to food manufacturers. In 2025, their technology's significant sustainability benefits are increasingly recognized. This allows food manufacturers to save millions of gallons of water, along with considerable time and money. While sustainable solutions are often viewed as more costly, many food processing applications can benefit from a solution that reconditions and reuses water, while also eliminating expenses related to chemical purchases, storage, protective gear, and disposal. These combined savings resulted in a substantial return on investment for some of the world’s largest food processors, like Coca- Cola Florida Beverages, for its can/bottle warmer lines.  

About BIOIONIX.  

BIOIONIX® was originally founded by a NASA grant for space shuttle water reuse. While focusing on an out-of-world science, they inadvertently developed a new technology that safely and naturally disrupts and destroys the DNA and RNA of harmful diseases and pathogens. Working with some of the world’s most loved brands, helping them to eliminate chemicals, making the world’s food and water supply safer.

BIOIONIX empowers food processors to:

❑  Create their own more powerful natural sanitizer and disinfection solutions  

(eliminating toxic chemicals)  

❑  Create a safer environment for employees with sanitization and disinfection  

solutions that are as effective as chemicals, yet completely safe and require no  Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)  

❑  Enhance food safety and product quality by reducing the risk of foodborne  illnesses, improving quality control, and extending the shelf life of perishable products  

❑  Realize cost benefits by producing your own non-corrosive sanitizer/disinfection,  

saving on chemicals, equipment replacement, disposal, storage, PPE, and  wastewater fees  

❑  Achieve sustainability objectives through chemical elimination, water savings/reuse, and a reduced carbon footprint  

About Coca-Cola Florida Beverages  

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is a strategic bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company and a growth-focused consumer packaged goods company. We are one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the United States with an exclusive territory that covers forty-seven counties in Florida. Coke Florida makes, sells, and distributes a portfolio of beverages for every occasion, including sparkling soft drinks, waters, teas, sports drinks,  energy drinks, juices, and value-added dairy drinks. We drive positive economic impact in  the communities we serve through employing over 5,000 associates and operating four  

GreenCircle Certified production facilities and eighteen distribution centers. Our investments in sustainability, education, and economic empowerment are the foundation of our commitment to helping build stronger communities.  Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Tampa, Coke Florida is also one of the largest Black-owned businesses  

in the United States. The company has been recognized as a US Best Managed Company  Gold Standard Winner by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. To learn more, visit  www.cokeflorida.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.   

Authors:  

Leigh Thornberry – Director of Marketing & Partnerships, BIOIONIX  

Daryn Partain – Director of Quality, Coca-Cola Florida Beverages, LLC