Coca-Cola makes change to Sprite bottle after 60 years

The US arm of the global drinks company has said the Sprite bottles will be clear. Photo / 123RF

Coca-Cola has announced a huge change is coming to one of its most popular products in a bid to help benefit the environment.

Sprite has had its famous green packaging for 60 years but now the US arm of the global drinks company has said the bottles will be clear.

The current bottles feature green polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is remade into single-use items such as clothes. But because of its colour, it can't be recycled into new bottles.

Currently, PET that is coloured is separated from clear material to avoid discolouring recycled food-grade packaging required to make new PET bottles.

So from August 1, the colour will be removed from Sprite bottles. However, it is unclear whether – or when – such a change will hit our shores.

"Taking colours out of bottles improves the quality of the recycled material," R3CYCLE CEO Julian Ochoa said. His company is working with Coca-Cola Consolidated to make the change happen.

"This transition will help increase availability of food-grade recycled PET (rPET). When recycled, clear PET Sprite bottles can be remade into bottles, helping drive a circular economy for plastic."

The company will also use the opportunity to revamp the Sprite logo with graphics to retain the brand's green hue and include prominent "Recycle Me" messaging.

It comes after the British arm of the global beverage company announced it has started rolling out new versions of its plastic bottles in an attempt to keep the lids out of landfill.

While caps are typically made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) – both of which are in high demand for recycling – many consumers still remove the lid when recycling.

The new "attached cap" design is supposed to make it easier to recycle the whole package at once while also preventing the common recycling mistake.

Plastic bottles of Coke, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper will all feature the new lids by early 2024, the company said.

However, the transition currently only applies to UK bottles, according to CNN Business.

"This is a small change that we hope will have a big impact, ensuring that when consumers recycle our bottles, no cap gets left behind," Jon Woods, general manager at Coca-Cola Great Britain, said in a statement.