Challenge
When Suntory unveiled a major design transformation for one of its best-selling drinks in a major step towards its 100% sustainable packaging and net zero ambition, Biffa were delighted to support them and verify how this redesign could facilitate optimised bottle to bottle recycling.
Solution
Although the old bottle had always been recyclable, the new 500ml Ribena bottle featured a significantly shorter label meaning it could now be recycled into the clear plastic waste stream and recycled back into another bottle; a move which helps keep a valuable material out of the environment and in circulation.
The redesign made Ribena the largest soft drinks brand to use bottles that are 100% bottle-to-bottle recyclable and made from 100% recycled plastic.
The two-year undertaking involved a £1.6M investment in research and new manufacturing equipment, as well as close collaboration with Biffa and the Recycling Association, who SBF GB&I worked with to create its most recyclable bottle possible.
Already the first UK drinks brand to use 100% recycled plastic in its bottles (2007) and working to promote biodiversity on its farms, Ribena’s latest milestone continues the brand’s push to be sustainable from bush to bottle.
