New construction plans and a major environmental announcement after lunch.

Two 640 mile flights -- from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. and back again -- before dinner.

Today was quite a day for Coke North America President Sandy Douglas. It was also quite a day for his company and its Atlanta workers.

At a press conference inside Washington’s Willard Hotel this afternoon, Douglas announced a new $60 million recycling initiative. The project includes the construction of a 30-acre plastics recycling facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina and an overhaul to how Coke handles its discarded bottles. Douglas touted the project as, “The world’s largest plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant”. The operation -- slated to be up and running in 2009 -- would recycle discarded plastics into usable, commercial items, including new plastic bottling. The company said its goal is to produce 100 million pounds of usable recycled plastic each year after completion -- the equivalent of 2 billion 20-oz Coke bottles.

Douglas said Coke plans to hire “30 to 50” employees to operate the Spartanburg facility. The large price tag is something Douglas believes the company can weather, despite increasing concerns about Coke North America’s bottom-line. “It’s an investment that over time will pay off in lower costs because it’ll make our supply more efficient,” Douglas said, “But in the short-term, it creates an environmental impact that’s very positive”.

Coke has been under pressure from environmental groups to reduce the environmental impact of its plastics use. But the company has also been facing fierce economic pressures. Amid sluggish sales, the company recently shuffled its North American management team. Seventy managers were reportedly affected in the shakeup. Just this morning, during a town-hall style meeting at the company’s downtown Atlanta headquarters, Douglas announced 125 job cuts as part of company-wide staff re-organization. According to an Atlanta Journal Constitution report today, the layoffs are the first at Coke since 2003, when 1,000 North American workers were let go. The paper also reported that Coke’s volume sales have declined in 2000. (Even sales of its popular Diet Coke brand dipped for the first time in 2006.)

Douglas defended the layoffs -- and the simultaneous announcement of expansion in Spartanburg, “(Coke) is about growth. In the end, we’ll try to have an organization that is just the right size to drive growth.” Douglas said the recycling facility could eventually be a source of revenue. The company plans on producing Coke apparel from its recycled plastics and selling the wares on its website and at The New World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta.

Environmental groups reserved comment on Coke’s new “green” initiative. A spokeswoman with the Washington-based Environmental Working Group declined comment until it “completes (further) study”.

This South Carolina plant is the latest in a series of recent environmental projects announced by Coke. Earlier this summer, the company unveiled a new plastic bottle for its 20-oz beverages, which use 5 percent less plastic.

The bottles are being rolled out this week. A company spokeswoman said the product will be popular with consumers because they also include “texture and grip enhancements.”

If so, Coke might’ve solved two problems at once. Greener products. And more “green” from their products.