Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Germany (CCEP DE) strengthens reusable containers business
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Germany (CCEP DE) is expanding its beverage portfolio in 1-litre refillable glass bottles by five beverage brands from September 2023 . In addition, CCEP DE is simplifying the filling of beverages in returnable large containers with immediate effect by introducing a new, uniform bottle design for each of the 1-litre glass and PET bottles. This will increase the production capacity for these packages in the future.
In order to position returnable bottles even better for the future, CCEP DE is simplifying the filling of PET and glass containers. To this end, the beverage company is halving the number of bottle shapes: For all beverages in 1-litre reusable containers, a new, uniform bottle shape will be introduced for PET and glass respectively.
New design for 1-litre PET returnable bottle for the first time since its introduction
The change is particularly significant for the 1-litre PET returnable bottle, into which CCEP DE fills a large variety of different beverage types: The bottle shape of the high-volume trade market classic is getting a new design for the first time since its introduction some 30 years ago. The changeover may take several years, depending on the container.
Reusable remains important in the packaging mix at CCEP DE, says the company. In total, around 250 million euros have been invested in reusable filling in the last five years (2018 to 2022): among other things, in two new glass reusable filling lines, new reusable containers such as the 0.4-litre glass reusable bottle for classics such as Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite, as well as in the expansion of the reusable bottle pool and in new reusable crates. More than 100 million euros in investments are planned for 2023, a large part for the bottle and crate pool. Around 40 million euros are currently being invested in a new refillable glass bottling plant in Lüneburg. In addition, the recommissioning of an existing returnable PET line in Bad Neuenahr is planned for a good 15 million euros. Both plants are scheduled to go into operation in 2024.
