Ribena unveils bottle-to-bottle recycling in major redesign

Leading juice drink brand Ribena has unveiled a new pack design that will give its recycled bottles the optimum chance of being recycled into another drinks bottle.

Ribena claimed the packaging change will make it the largest soft drinks brand with bottles that are made from 100% recycled plastic and are 100% bottle-to-bottle recyclable.

The new bottle design also features a reduction in the plastic sleeve, making the bottles more easily detected as clear plastic to be recycled by existing UK recycling infrastructure.

The innovation, result of a two-year development programme and investment of £1.6 million, has removed 202 tonnes of plastic per year.

Rolling out from November, the new Ribena bottle will feature a number of recycling messages embossed on its bottle, as well as featuring on the bottle label.

The brand added that it will include recycling messaging on its advertising and invest six-figure sums, the biggest campaign for Ribena next year, to encourage consumers to recycle. The marketing campaign will include a TV advert, social media and POS materials.

“We want to continue to use the positive power of our iconic brand and our long history of leading the way in sustainability to encourage drinkers to recycle,” commented Charlotte Flook, head of brand, Ribena, at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I.

“67 per cent of shoppers say they have become more aware of the environmental impact of plastic packaging over the last 12 months, and, we’re proud to take this huge step forwardto ensure everyone’s Ribena bottle can be recycled back into bottles.”

The new pack designs aim to draw on the familiar and distinctive aspects of the previous Ribena packaging, while modernising the brand.

Flook added: “Another significant change is that we are now showcasing Ribena’s distinctive liquid which consumers tell us they love. It isn’t just the packaging of Ribena that’s focused on sustainability, we have a full-time agronomist and partner with the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group so that each of our growers has a resilient biodiversity plan tailored to the individual habitats at each farm. With 90% of blackcurrants grown in the UK destined to go into Ribena, we wanted to show off this uniquely British asset.”

This year, Ribena became the first major UK juice drink brand to introduce a paper straw to its drinks cartons.