Ribena to Become First Major UK Soft Drink with 100% Recycled Plastic Bottles

From October 2007, Ribena ready-to-drink bottles will be made from plastic that has already been recycled at least once and can be recycled again after use.

29/09/07 Ribena is to use 100 per cent recycled plastic in its portfolio of plastic bottles, it was announced. A first for the UK soft drinks industry, the move will see Ribena increase the recycled content of its popular ready-to-drink bottles from 40 per cent on average to 100 per cent.

At present the majority of Ribena bottles are made with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) – a material that can be fully recycled for future use – with 40 per cent recycled content (rPET). From October 2007, Ribena ready-to-drink bottles will be made from plastic that has already been recycled at least once and can be recycled again after use. The bottle cap and sleeve will not be made from recycled materials but are fully compatible with bottle recycling.

The Ribena squash range will follow, and is expected to adopt 100% recycled plastic bottles within the next six months.

The Ribena bottle range, which spans four flavours including the original blackcurrant, accounts for 58 per cent of the UK’s number one juice drink’s sales1. More than 60 million bottles are sold each year.