Lucozade Ribena Suntory is to embark on a portfolio-wide renovation of its drinks bottles in the UK, with an eye towards improved recyclability.
A key part of the redesign will be reducing the full printed sleeves that cover some of the manufacturer’s bottles. By reducing the sleeves and increasing their transparency, it will make it easier for automated sorting machines to identify the packaging and ensure that each bottle is recycled.
It is the company’s latest move to ensure all its packaging is fully recyclable within the UK’s current recycling infrastructure; the company has already pledged to ensure 100% of its plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 and is taking “positive steps”, like Fitwater, to ensure new drink launches are designed with bottle-to-bottle recycling in mind.
Michelle Norman, director of external affairs and sustainability at Lucozade Ribena Suntory, said: “Lucozade Ribena Suntory takes its sustainability commitments very seriously and we are extremely proud to be announcing this packaging redesign to ensure our brands continue to be as sustainable as possible. While we continue to make positive changes to our brands it is important that wider changes are made by companies like us, government and industry to ensure recycling rates in the UK can continue to increase.”
Lucozade Ribena Suntory has already trialled Ooho, plastic free biodegradable packaging, to distribute Lucozade Sport to participants at sporting events. It has also invested in “behavioural change initiatives” to help change consumer perceptions of plastic and partnered with Hubbub, an anti-littering charity, to raise awareness and deter littering.
Additionally, the company has made several large investments to ensure its manufacturing process is as sustainable as possible. In 2010, the company invested £70 million to bring bottle production into its Gloucestershire factory, a move designed to reduce its carbon footprint. More recently, Suntory Beverage & Food invested a further £13 million to install a new filler at the factory that will reduce the water and energy used to produce a filled bottle by 40%.
Peter Maddox, director at sustainability charity WRAP, said: “As a founding member of The UK Plastics Pact, I am pleased to see Lucozade Ribena Suntory taking further proactive steps to minimise its impact on the environment. This redesign will help the reprocessing of their drinks bottles and shows that the company continues to take sustainability seriously. I look forward to seeing the results.”
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