In support of the transition to a more circular economy, Coca-Cola Australia will switch Sprite’s green plastic bottles to clear ones, making them easier to recycle.
Most recycling facilities use mechanical work, which means after the bottles are cleaned and sorted, they’re ground up into tiny flakes that can be melted into new material. However, if the plastic is dyed, it can’t be turned back into clear plastic, making it less valuable.
Kate Miller, marketing director, Coca-Cola Australia, said the initiative gives bottles the best chance of being recycled and processed into new bottles.
“At Coca-Cola, we want our bottles to have more than one life. All our Sprite bottles under 1 litre are made from 100 per cent recycled PET plastic (excluding caps and labels).
“While Australians have known and loved Sprite in its iconic green bottle for nearly 60 years, we know this is the right thing to do as we support the transition to circularity for our packaging.”
The FMCG giant is part of the Circular Plastics Australia (PET) joint venture, together with Asahi Beverages, Pact Group, and Cleanaway Waste Management, which has invested in two recycling facilities that can turn empty plastic bottles into recycled material for new packaging.
First established in Albury, NSW, last year, a second facility will open in Altona, Victoria, late this year. Both sites will be able to recycle the equivalent of 2 billion 600ml PET plastic bottles each year.
Not-for-profit organisation Park Ark Environmental Foundation welcomed the brand’s transition and its impact on plastics recycling in the country.
“It’s critical that companies like Coca-Cola continue to invest in ensuring their products have the best chance of being recycled,” remarked Rebecca Gilling, CEO of Planet Ark.
“If bottles are collected and recycled and then turned into new bottles locally – this ultimately means less demand for new plastic, as well as reduced carbon emissions.”
Gilling added that container deposit schemes are now available and are slowly rolling out in every state and territory to ensure clean recycling streams.
“Choosing to recycle plastic bottles via Container Deposit Schemes helps to keep them out of the landfill and gives them the best chance of becoming another bottle,” she concluded. “Keeping the collected material in Australia is essential to driving circular outcomes.”
The change in Australia will affect all pack sizes of Sprite Classic bottles in PET plastic packaging and is expected to be complete by August this year as retailers sell through existing stock.
Coca-Cola New Zealand rolled out the Sprite clear bottles last month.
