Sprite goes label-less in pursuit of sustainability

In a new trial, Sprite is removing the labels from the front of bottles in an effort to make its bottles stand out from the competition.

500ml Sprite and Sprite Zero bottles will have their labels temporarily removed during the pilot program. Instead, an embossed logo will be placed on the front of the pack in their place. The back of the pack will have the product and nutritional information laser engraved on it.

Up until March, the see through bottles will be offered for sale across eight Tesco Express locations in the UK as part of a limited trial.

The company claims that even though the current labels are completely recyclable, taking them off makes recycling easier. The proposed solution would reduce the usage of packaging materials and eliminate the need to separate them from bottles during recycling.

Javier Meza, VP marketing, Coca‑Cola Europe reflected: “The trial we are announcing today is a milestone for the industry. It’s the first time these two technologies have been used in a pilot globally, where a Coca‑Cola product will appear in a label-less, single-unit bottle sold in-store. Although the design change may sound simple, this is a big shift from a marketing perspective. This trial could contribute to longer-term changes to the way brands communicate with their consumers.”

The Coca-Cola Company announced last year that it was putting the Sprite brand on a "unified" worldwide drive in an effort to maximize its potential and establish a steady presence. According to data from Kantar released last year, the brand saw the largest increases in household penetration globally in 2022 of any FMCG brand.

The Coca-Cola Company has tested removing labels from its beverages before. This is not the first time. Coca-Cola label-free trials have been conducted in Asian markets, such as South Korea and Japan. Label-free bottles of the company's Switzerland water brand Valser were introduced in September 2022.

A range of label-free bottles have been introduced by Danone-owned water brand Evian in the past.

Image credits: MarketingWeek