Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I) has confirmed that all of its on-the-go 500ml bottles, bar the cap and label, will be made from 100% rPET by the end of the year.

This includes Lucozade Sport, Lucozade Energy, Orangina and Ribena bottles.

The supplier has made the commitment despite the rising costs of the material. Currently, rPET is 39% more expensive in Europe compared to virgin PET, but it has, on average, a 79% lower carbon footprint.

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SBF estimates the switch to rPET will see a reduction in 36,058 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Its Lucozade Sport, Orangina and Ribena bottles are already 100% rPET but the supplier wants to meet this requirement with Lucozade Energy bottles as well.

It is part of SBF’s commitment to achieve 100% sustainable packaging by 2030.

Liz Nieboer, head of sustainability at SBF BG&I, said the move was “the result of years of hard work”, but added that “much still needs to be done in terms of recycling infrastructure”.

“There has been a historic under-investment in the UK’s recycling and collection infrastructures, meaning less than a third of bottles are turned back into bottles,” she said.

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