Lucozade Energy bottles will now feature a half sleeve that covers just 50% of the bottle height compared to previous full-length sleeves. This will see a 60% reduction in the total sleeve weight, removing 956 tonnes of new plastic per year.
The changes also lower water use during production by a significant amount – the equivalent to an Olympic-sized swimming pool every 289 days.
The project involved installing new sleevers across three different production lines in SBF GB&I’s factory in Coleford. The work took a collective 470 working days and was delivered in just six weeks.
The changes are also important for the recyclability of Lucozade Energy bottles as the reduced sleeve continues to support bottle-to-bottle recycling. It ensures the bottle can be sorted into the clear plastics stream at recycling facilities allowing it to be recovered to create new bottles again.
This forms part of the manufacturer’s journey to achieve 100% sustainable plastic across its portfolio by 2030. But the changes will also help with other ambitions related to scope 3 and net zero targets. Presently, packaging accounts for 15.5% of the company’s scope 3 emissions; a removal of 956 tonnes of plastic a year will helps towards its goal of reducing these emissions by 30% by 2030.
“As one of the biggest energy brands in the UK, producing over 3,000 bottles of Lucozade Energy per minute, this has been a complex and large-scale change for our factory,” said Karl Ottomar, supply chain director for SBF GB&I.
“While reducing a drink’s sleeve size may sound simple, it has required a full redesign of the bottle and complete change in componentry on our production lines. The team have dedicated thousands of hours to plan and then successfully implement the changes on our lines and I’m so proud of their incredible commitment to this project and helping us meet our sustainability goals.”
The packaging evolution for Lucozade Energy follows similar changes to the sleeve length made to Ribena bottles in 2020 and Lucozade Sport in 2021.
SBF GB&I has invested a total of £11.3m over five years to support the development of its sustainable packaging as it collaborates with industry to achieve a circular economy for plastics, work that includes advocating for and delivering a DRS in the UK by October 2027.
The new Lucozade Energy bottles will also feature a new ergonomic embossed design showcasing Lucozade’s ‘Arc’ logo, enhancing both brand recognition and bottle texture.
The new bottles are now rolling out into stores.