Sprite’s iconic green plastic bottle will switch to clear plastic in Australia, making them easier to recycle into new bottles locally. 
According to Coca-Cola Australia, the switch from green to clear Sprite bottles will increase the likelihood of these bottles being remade into new bottles, meaning that they can have more than one life.
“At Coca-Cola, we want our bottles to have more than one life,” says Coca-Cola Australia Marketing Director Kate Miller.
“All our Sprite bottles under 1lt are already made from 100% recycled PET plastic (excluding caps and labels).
“This initiative helps to support recycling systems and gives our bottles the best chance of being recycled and processed into new bottles locally.
“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.”
Planet Ark Environmental Foundation welcomes today’s announcement and its potential impact on plastics recycling in Australia.
“We all have a role to play in driving our transition to a circular economy in Australia and this is a significant move by Coca-Cola Australia,” says Planet Ark CEO Rebecca Gilling.
“It’s critical that companies like Coca-Cola continue to invest in making sure their products have the best chance of being recycled. 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.”
Ms Gilling adds that Container Deposit Schemes, which are now available or planned to launch in every Australian state and territory, provide an excellent means of ensuring clean recycling streams.
“Choosing to recycle plastic bottles via Container Deposit Schemes helps to keep them out of landfill and gives them the best chance of becoming another bottle,” she says. “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 as retailers sell through existing stock.
