Sprite remade – from green to clear

In 2023 Coca‑Cola Australia made the switch from Sprite’s iconic green plastic bottles to clear plastic, making them easier to recycle into new bottles locally. While green PET plastic is recyclable, it’s usually converted into single-use items like clothing and carpet that cannot be recycled again. 

The switch from green to clear Sprite bottles will increase the likelihood of these bottles being remade into new bottles, meaning that they can have more than one life.

Kate Miller, Marketing Director at Coca‑Cola Australia said: “At Coca‑Cola, we want our bottles to have more than one life. All our Sprite bottles under 1 litre are already made from 100 per cent recycled PET plastic (excluding caps and labels).  This initiative helps to support recycling systems and gives our bottles the best chance of being recycled and processed into new bottles locally. While Australians have known and loved Sprite in its iconic green bottle for nearly 60 years, we know this is the right thing to do, as we support the transition to circularity for our packaging.”

Planet Ark Environmental Foundation, Australia's leading environmental behavior change organization, welcomed the change and its potential impact on plastics recycling in Australia. Planet Ark CEO, Rebecca Gilling said: "We all have a role to play in driving our transition to a circular economy in Australia and this is a significant move by Coca‑Cola Australia.  It’s critical that companies like Coca‑Cola continue to invest in making sure their products have the best chance of being recycled. If bottles are collected and recycled and then turned into new bottles locally – this ultimately means less demand for new plastic, as well as reduced carbon emissions.”