3 minute read - 15th May 2025
Suntory Beverage invests £6m in sustainability makeover for Lucozade
Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I) has invested £6.3m in a major packaging redesign for Lucozade Energy bottles. This will significantly reduce plastic use and support 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 wraps. This results in a 60% reduction in the total sleeve weight, removing 956 tonnes of new plastic per year. The changes also reduce water use during production, equivalent to an Olympic-sized swimming pool every 289 days.
The sleeve updates have required a full redesign of the bottle and a complete change in componentry on its production lines. The project involved installing new sleevers with the latest technology across three different production lines in SBF GB&I’s factory in Coleford.
Suntory Beverage & Food has invested £6.3m at its Coleford factory in a major sustainability makeover for its Lucozade Energy bottles / Picture: SBF GB&I
The changes are also important for the recyclability of Lucozade Energy bottles, as the reduced sleeve continues to support bottle-to-bottle recycling. It ensures the bottle can be sorted into the clear plastics stream at recycling facilities, allowing it to be recovered to create new bottles.
This latest project is important for SBF GB&I’s sustainable packaging commitments, emission reduction targets, and journey to net zero. Packaging accounts for 15.5% of the company’s Scope 3 emissions, and removing 956 tonnes of plastic a year 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 £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. This includes advocating for and delivering a DRS (deposit return scheme) in the UK by October 2027.
Karl Ottomar, supply chain director at SBF GB&I, said: “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 a 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.”
Suntory Beverage & Food has invested a total of £11.3m over the last five years to support the development of its sustainable packaging / Picture: SBF GB&I
Fraser McIntosh, head of external affairs and sustainability at SBF GB&I, added: “This change marks a significant step forward in our journey towards achieving 100% sustainable plastic packaging across our portfolio by 2030. At a time when we face increasing cost pressures as a business, we continue to prioritise sustainability, demonstrating our company value of Growing for Good. It’s another major investment in our factory, helping to build a sustainable future for our brands.”
Paul East, head of packaging recycling and design at RECOUP, said: “RECOUP are proud to have been part of the journey to redesign the Lucozade Energy bottle. This new design meets recyclability guidelines, meaning the bottles can be easily sorted at recycling centres and reduces the amount of overall plastic produced. The next step is to encourage more consumers to dispose of the bottles correctly, in the certainty that the bottle will be detected and recycled.”
The new Lucozade Energy bottles will also feature a new ergonomic embossed design showcasing Lucozade’s iconic “Arc” logo, enhancing both brand recognition and bottle texture. The new bottles are now rolling out in stores.
