The New Innovative Design
Ribena has announced the launch of their new and improved plastic bottle redesign! Built on their already environmentally-friendly initiative which saw their bottles being recyclable since 2007, they are now pushing further for sustainability with a new innovative design using 100% recycled plastic and 100% bottle-to-bottle recyclability. The vision is to be using only 100% sustainable plastic bottles by 2030, and to reach net zero emissions by 2050. These are ambitious yet inspiring targets for the UKs leading juice brand!
Then & Now
How Has It Been Done?
The new design, announced to be released in 2021 with an investment of £1.6 million by brand owners Suntory Beverage and Food GB and Ireland, introduces a much smaller plastic sleeve which covers less than 40% of the bottle; a huge improvement to the almost 100% coverage before. This major change makes the bottle much easier to recycle, with studies showing that it will remove 202 tonnes of plastic from circulation.
As well as the size, the colour of the light transparent sleeve also helps sorting machines at recycling centres identify the plastic easily, unlike the difficulty with the dark colour used before. This ensures that the plastic will not miss the chance of being recycled into new bottles and keep the circulation moving.
The also stylish bottle will feature an embossed symbol labelling ‘100% recycled’ on the front, which makes it clear for consumers and memorable to dispose of the bottle correctly by recycling. Pushing the message onto consumers and making instructions clear is vital in changing human behaviour to dispose of plastic effectively.
The Problem With Plastic Packaging
Plastic packaging often does not get recycled and has not been designed for the ability to be reused, which is one of the main issues we are facing with it today. According to The National Geographic, 40% of all plastic produced is packaging, which is used just once and then thrown away. This single-use of plastic is key in where we are going wrong, and with landfills and our oceans piling up with packaging, we are now seeing the devastating effects that it is having on our environments.
By following in the footsteps of worldwide brands such as Ribena and creating 100% recycled packaging with 100% bottle-to-bottle recyclable ability, businesses can cut down a monumental amount of plastic being created and reduce their carbon footprint, helping to move forward to a more sustainable use of plastic for our planet.
