Coca-cola Claims "Less Harmful" Plastic On Sprite Clear Bottles Roll-Out Starting August 1

According to a statement released on Wednesday by parent company Coca-Cola, Sprite will no longer be sold in its recognizable green plastic bottles in North America. The popular beverage will now be sold in transparent clear plastic bottles because they are "less harmful" to the health.

The United States is thought to be the world's largest producer of plastic waste, producing 130 kg of plastic waste annually.

More than 50 years ago, plastic materials were initially used commercially, but there is mounting evidence that this once-heralded wonder material has the potential to harm both people and the environment.

Similarly, microplastics laced with chemicals are frequently ingested by animals that can injure or poison marine and other wildlife. Chemicals used for plastic products are assumed to be absorbed by human bodies and have been found to modify hormones and have other potential side effects.

Hazardous chemicals from plastic have reportedly leaked into groundwater in other landfills, and floating plastic debris in the water can survive for a very long time, upsetting habitats all over the world.

However, one plastic product is about to go through significant change after Coca-Cola announced that Sprite would no longer be sold in green plastic bottles in North America as of Monday.

For the Love of Recycling

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is almost exclusively used in the production of single-serving and 2-liter soft drink bottles in the United States. It is a widely used, clear, sturdy, and light plastic that can safely come into contact with food and beverages.

Even though PET bottles can be recycled completely, over 1.5 billion pounds of them are recovered annually in the US. Adding colorants to the plastic product, meanwhile, can make recycling more difficult.

According to the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), colored bottles might contain pigments that could contaminate the PET stream and should not be mixed with the stream of transparent bottles. Due to the increased costs associated with sorting colored plastic, they are frequently made into single-use items.

Coca-Cola announced that Sprite is switching from green to clear plastic to increase the likelihood that the material will be used to create new beverage bottles.

Sprite will switch from its distinctive green packaging to clear PET starting on August 1. Sprite is launching new clear bottles in addition to a new visual identity that includes a new logo and packaging style.

The graphics on Sprite's packaging will still be recognizable as being green and will feature clear "Recycle Me" messaging.

According to Coca-Cola, this transition has been in the works for some time. Recycled PET (rPET) is currently insufficiently accessible to satisfy the industry demand. With this transition, the company hopes to increase the supply of high-quality and food-grade recycled PET necessary to fulfill its World Without Waste objective of using recycled materials in bottles and cans at least 50% of the time by 2030.

They verified that clear plastic is being phased all over the world. 47 markets had made the transition from green to clear as of the end of 2021, and another 70 or more planned to do so in 2022.

Some Yes, Some No

Positive responses to the decision to abandon the recognizable green have been seen online. Fans of the recognizable carbonated beverage expressed their opinions on Twitter, saying that their initial reaction was to wonder why the company was changing something so recognizable. They compared it to Crystal Pepsi, but it turned out that the clear packaging is much easier to recycle.

Another Twitter user stated that Sprite is the only soda they consume, so they are conflicted about losing the iconic green color but happy that it will help the environment.

Others, however, questioned the timing of this action, claiming that the business could have taken this action earlier.

Another person tweeted that Sprite is giving up its green bottles to promote recycling, which strikes them more as greenwashing than anything else.

Coca-Cola confirmed that more of its green-colored packaging, including that for Fresca, Mello Yello, Seagram's, and Dasani, will switch to clear plastic over the course of the next year in addition to the change to the Sprite bottles.

Last month, viewers were horrified by a shocking video from a beach in Guatemala that revealed the true cost of plastic waste to the environment.

The video was taken at the Rio Motagua's estuary, which is one of the world's most polluted rivers. The 300-mile-long river flows from Guatemala's western highlands to its eastern coast border with Honduras, Newsweek reports.