Sprite® switches to clear plastic bottle packaging to promote sustainability

[Editor’s note: As part of their a World Without Waste campaign, Sprite switched its packaging to clear plastic bottle. Below is their press release.]

MANILA, Philippines – For half a century, people have known Sprite® for its iconic green bottle that is as unique as its crisp, lemon-lime flavor. Now, the brand is switching its trademark design for a clear, new look as part of their mission – a World Without Waste.

“Sprite®’s status as one of the biggest and most recognized brands in the world can largely be attributed to its crisp lemon-lime taste and its iconic green bottle design. As part of our journey towards a World Without Waste, we are transitioning our green Sprite® plastic bottles to clear ones as clear plastic is much easier to recycle,” said  Sharon Garcia-Tanganco, Coca-Cola Philippines marketing director.

The World Without Waste is a campaign launched by Coca- Cola that aims to collect and recycle every bottle or can they sell by 2030.

“Sprite® will continue to offer the refreshing lemon-lime drink in refillable green glass packaging, and recyclable aluminum cans. However, as we continue to look at the overall recyclability and usability of all our packaging materials, we saw the opportunity to transition the colored plastic bottle of one of our biggest brands to clear plastic bottle so it can be recycled and re-used by recyclers,” Tanganco added.

This packaging milestone makes Sprite® one of the first soft drinks in the Philippines and in Asia to introduce a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic. To close the loop on their packaging initiative, Coca-Cola Philippines also announced this year its investment on what will be the country’s largest state-of-the-art, bottle-to-bottle recycling facility.

“We recognize that packaging waste is an urgent issue – globally and here in the Philippines. As a company, we are determined to be part of the solution and we’re working to go further and faster in our actions, such as eliminating hard-to-recycle packaging from our portfolio,” said Winn Everhart, Coca-Cola Philippines president and general manager.  “The journey towards our vision of World Without Waste is a long but possible one. By working with equally-passionate and like-minded organizations, we will continue to strive hard and go beyond towards achieving our goals.”

To learn more about Sprite® and The Coca-Cola Company’s wider goals and actions to address packaging waste, please visit their website.   – Rappler.com

The clear plastic bottle transition of Sprite® in Southeast Asia was announced during SEA of Solutions 2019, the first annual partnership week convened by SEA circular – an initiative from the UN Environment Programme and the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), with support from the Swedish Government. 

The Philippines is the largest Sprite® market in ASEAN and the first market in ASEAN to begin the clear plastic bottle transition. The transition will expand to other markets in Southeast Asia through 2020.

Rappler is building a network of climate advocates, LGUs, corporations, NGOs, youth groups, and individuals for the #ManyWaysToZeroWaste campaign, a movement pushing for responsible ways to use and reduce plastic. Go here to know how you can help.