Britvic UK shifts brands to rPET bottles after overcoming industry-wide supply shortages
25 Aug 2021 --- Britvic is moving its Robinsons, Lipton Ice Tea and Drench 500 ml beverage bottles to 100 percent recycled PET (rPET). The on-the-go bottles are the first to use recycled plastic from a new rPET manufacturing facility in North Yorkshire, UK.
The facility, built by Esterform Packaging following Britvic’s £5 million (US$6.8 million) investment support in 2019, is powered by 100 percent renewable energy and provides Britvic with a secure supply of quality food-grade rPET in the UK.
Speaking to PackagingInsights, a Britvic spokesperson explains the facility is helping fill a shortage of rPET in the UK.
“We have long wanted to use more rPET in our products – first introducing rPET content in 2010 – but there’s a significant industry issue in accessing the quantity and quality of food-grade rPET required to satisfy the demand, with insufficient capacity currently available in the UK.”
Saving plastic
By switching Robinsons, Lipton Ice Tea and Drench 500 ml bottles to rPET, Britvic will save 1,354 metric tons of virgin plastic every year. The company is already saving 1,900 metric tons through its Ballygowan Mineral Water and Fruit Shoot Hydro brands, which switched to rPET in June.
The move marks the latest step in Britvic’s Healthier People, Healthier Planet sustainability strategy. It brings the company closer to its goal of moving all British-made bottles to 100 percent rPET by the end of 2022.
“It’s a fantastic example of the progress made in the facility with Britvic’s investment support and the first in a series of changes using Esterpet packaging as we continue our journey to fulfill our rPET commitment,” says Sarah Webster, director of sustainable business at Britvic.
By 2023, Britvic is aiming to transition to rPET entirely.
Sourcing rPET
Esterform Packaging is the UK’s largest independent converter of PET and has supplied Britvic for over 15 years.
“Supporting the development of rPET in the UK is crucial for Britvic as sourcing packaging material locally rather than abroad will significantly reduce its direct carbon emissions output,” says the company.
Britvic’s is using the switch to rPET to reaffirm its commitment to an industry-led, non profit and GB-wide Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to increase recycling levels.
The UK’s Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) recently concluded an industry consultation on introducing a DRS and updating the country’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.
Since 2018, Britvic has invested in the UK recycling infrastructure through its commitment to only purchase domestic Packaging Recovery Notes from UK recyclers. This means Britvic is invested solely in the UK’s recycling industry rather than foreign waste exports.
Sprite going clear
In June, Britvic transitioned its green 7UP bottles to a clear, transparent PET to encourage consumer recycling. Last year, the company conducted consumer research to confirm that a switch in color would improve sales and recycling practices among its consumer base.
Its sustainability efforts are also communicated through new labeling design, tapping into Innova Market Insights’ top packaging trend for 2020, “The Language of Environmental Sustainability.”
Around 40 percent of respondents stated they would be more likely to recycle a 7UP bottle if it came in clear plastic. Moreover, one in four consumers perceive the clear bottle as an improver of taste, and almost a third of consumers state they would be more likely to buy 7UP in a clear bottle.
By Louis Gore-Langton
