Coca-Cola might be super proprietary about its secret soda formula, but when it comes to sharing technology that could help the earth, it’s willing to to spread the wealth with other big American businesses. Coca-Cola, Ford, Heinz, Nike and Procter & Gamble announced today they’ve teamed up to work on how to develop plant-based plastic material.

Coke has been using its “plant bottle” packaging technology, where bottles contain material derived from sugar cane for awhile, and has licensed the technology to Heinz already for some of its ketchup bottles, notes the Chicago Tribune.

And now the five companies say they’re committed to advancing research on the process and further developing a “commercially viable, sustainably sourced plastic made entirely from plant materials, while reducing the use of fossil fuels.”

Coke gets sugar cane-based ethanol from Brazilian plantations that it says are not near the Amazon rain forests. It’s also trying to find a way to capture sugar from plant waste.

The plant-based material could be used by the companies in the group for making anything from plastic bottles, to clothing, shoes and car fabric.

Ford, others join Coke in plant-based plastic venture [Chicago Tribune]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.