The Coca-Cola system in Kenya has today unveiled a new iconic look of its leading sparkling soft drink Sprite. The lemon-lime flavored Sprite will now be packaged in a clear PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottle, marking a historic shift from the green-colored plastic bottle which has been its identity since 1960 when it was first launched.
This shift from the iconic green bottle means more Sprite bottles can be collected, recycled and reused to make new items, in line with Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste vision, which targets to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can it sells by 2030, as well as use 50% recycled content in all its packaging.
Clear PET can be recycled and re-used to make a wider range of new products, such as pillow and duvet inners, as well as new bottles, making it more valuable than green PET, which has limited uses. Kenya becomes the 4th African market where Coca-Cola has introduced the Sprite clear PET, after South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
With presence in over 200 countries, including Kenya, Coca-Cola Sprite’s new transparent look features a clear see-through bottle, refreshed icon of the brand’s bold Sprite ‘spark’ with a distinct label and bright green cover.
The new look Sprite will be available in all retail outlets and Coca-Cola distributors across the country starting June this year as the company clears out the green packaging from the shelves and the trade to ensure complete transition into the clear bottles.
Coca-Cola is one of the members of PETCO Kenya (PET Recycling Company Ltd), an industry-led extended producer responsibility PET recycling scheme, comprised of 16 industry players from different sectors. PETCO seeks to coordinate initiatives to collect, sort and recycle plastic bottles, with broader focus on sustainable management of PET material after their initial use. This is done in partnership with recyclers who create new products out of disposed PET material.
Since Sprite was launched in 1960, it has been synonymous with its iconic green bottle and this marks a major milestone in its growth and sustainability in various markets. With the clear PET plastic, Sprite bottles have a higher chance of being collected, recycled and reused, thus creating a circular solution for plastic. The new clear/transparent Sprite PET bottle is 100% recyclable, and therefore increases the value of the plastic in the after-use market and its ability to remain in the circular economy to be re-used for different purposes.