Suntory Beverage and Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I) is investing £6 million to make its Lucozade bottle from 100% rPET and more recyclable.
Using only recycled plastic will save 3,400 tonnes of virgin plastic being used annually. While the bottle will use a smaller label, reducing the amount of plastic further while also ensuring it can be recycled back into another bottle.
SBF GB&I chief operating officer Toby McKeever said: “This investment into our iconic Lucozade brand marks a huge step towards our 2030 sustainable plastic packaging goals and makes the UK’s biggest sports drink brand also one of the most sustainable.
“From professionals to grassroots players, Lucozade Sport is a staple for athletes across the country and I urge these sports drink fans to go the extra mile and recycle their bottle. Part of our Growing for Good vision is to minimise our environmental impact and keeping our bottles in circulation is a crucial part of this.”
The Recycling Association has worked closely with SBF GB&I. Its chief executive Simon Ellin added: “We have been critical in the past of brands using a full plastic sleeve around their bottles.
“SBF GB&I have gone above and beyond remedying this in their re-design, by not only minimising the plastic sleeve, and ensuring the whole bottle is recyclable, but they’ve moved to using 100% recycled material in its manufacture too. This is market leading and we fully applaud them for their efforts.”
