Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I invests £6m in sustainability makeover for Lucozade Energy
Lucozade producer Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I) has invested USD 8.38 million (£6.3 million) in a major packaging redesign for Lucozade Energy bottles, aiming to significantly reduce plastic use and supporting the efficient recycling of its bottles.
Lucozade Energy bottles will now feature a half sleeve that covers just 50% of the bottle height compared to previous full-length sleeves. This results in a 60% reduction in the total sleeve weight, removing 956 t/a of new plastic. The changes also reduce water use during production, equivalent to an Olympic-sized swimming pool every 289 days.
The project involved installing new sleevers with the latest technology across three different production lines in SBF GB&I’s factory in Coleford. The work took a collective 470 working days, delivered in only six weeks.
Karl Ottomar, Supply Chain Director, SBF GB&I, comments: “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. 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.”
This latest project is not only important for SBF GB&I’s sustainable packaging commitments but also its emission reduction targets and journey to net zero. Packaging accounts for 15.5% of the company’s Scope 3 emissions and a removal of 956 t/a of plastic helps towards its goal of reducing these emissions by 30% by 2030.
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 USD 15.03 million (£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 in store.