Coca-Cola pilots labelless Sprite bottles in the U.K.
Coca‑Cola is temporarily removing the labels from its 500-mL Sprite and Sprite Zero on-the-go bottles in a limited trial of label-less packaging. Instead of a label, the bottle will be decorated with an embossed logo on the front of the pack. Laser-engraved products and nutritional information will appear on the back.
According to Coca-Cola, while the existing labels are fully recyclable, removing them simplifies the recycling process. Eliminating the labels means there is no need to separate them from the bottles during the recycling process, and it reduces the amount of packaging material used overall. Shoppers are being invited to try out the new limited design, which will be sold at eight Tesco Express Stores in Brighton and Hove, Bristol, London, and Manchester between January and March 2024.
In recent years, Coca‑Cola has introduced several design changes to help reduce packaging waste, including turning Sprite bottles from green to clear plastic to make them easier to recycle back into bottles. It has also introduced attached caps to its bottles, ensuring the cap stays connected to the bottle after opening to reduce the potential for littering, and it has invested in new designs to reduce the amount of packaging it uses, such as creating lightweight bottles and reducing the materials used in external packaging.
