Coca-Cola Great Britain is initiating a temporary trial in the UK this January to remove labels from 500ml on-the-go Sprite bottles, aiming to simplify the recycling process, the company reported. By eliminating labels, there is no longer a need to separate them from the bottles during recycling. While the existing labels are fully recyclable, their removal reduces the use of packaging materials.
The new trial bottles will feature an embossed logo on the front and laser-engraved product information on the back. They will be available in clear, 100% recycled PET bottles with attached caps. For this trial, traffic light labels will not be visible on the bottles; however, all information will be accessible through a QR code laser-engraved on the bottle.
This trial will be conducted on 500ml Sprite and Sprite Zero bottles at eight Tesco Express stores in Brighton and Hove, Bristol, London, and Manchester from January to March 2024. Introducing label-less bottles in stores for the first time will help understand consumer reactions to the new design and determine if further changes are necessary to facilitate product identification without traditional labels.
Among the eight trial stores, four will stock the product with accompanying point-of-sale materials and signage, while the remaining four will carry the label-less product without additional marketing. An additional store in each region will not stock the label-less product but will serve as a comparison point throughout the trial. This approach will allow for a direct assessment of the new bottles' impact and feedback from both retailers and consumers.
