Sprite is retiring its signature green bottle more than 60 years after it was first launched in favour of a relatively sustainable alternative - a clear white bottle, its parent organisation The Coca Cola Company announced recently. The current green plastic bottle is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is often converted into single-use items such as carpets and clothing. However, the company said that it is easier to reuse clear plastic than green one for new bottles. “When recycled, clear PET Sprite bottles can be remade into [new] bottles, helping drive a circular economy for plastic,” Julian Ochoa, chief executive officer of R3CYCLE -a recycling company that works with Coca-Cola Consolidated, said in a statement.
Cans and packaging graphics of Sprite will still be green, but its logo will change. The lemon-lime soft drink has been packaged in green colour ever since it was first launched in the US in 1961. According to Coke, the drink has been one of its bestselling products.Coke said the move to switch to the clear plastic bottle would help support “a circular economy for plastic packaging”.In some foreign countries, Sprite has already switched to clear plastic bottles with specific flavours like cherry and sugar-free.Coca-Cola also announced that the bottled water brand Dasani will be made from 100 per cent recycled PET plastic. The move will reduce plastic waste by 20 million pounds compared with what was used in 2019, according to the release.