In an effort to become more environmentally friendly, Coca-Cola announced on Wednesday that it will be retiring the iconic green plastic bottles Sprite is commonly sold in.
The green bottles contain polyethylene terephthalate (PET), an additive that is more difficult to recycle into other plastic products or new bottles. Sprite has used green bottles for more than six decades.
The redesign will also come with a revamped logo, but the familiar green color will still be present on the caps and labels of the new bottles.
Other Coca-Cola beverages that use green bottles, including Mello Yello, Seagram’s Ginger Ale, and Fresca will also be getting new-look clear bottles.
The company also announced that most Dasani water bottles sold in the US and Canada will now be made out of 100% recycled plastic.
The announcement comes as Coca-Cola attempts to improve its environmental impact. In 2018, the company announced its “World Without Waste” initiative which set the goal of recycling one bottle or can for each sale it makes by 2030. Despite this focus, Coca-Cola was named the world’s top plastic polluter by Break Free From Plastic, an environmental group in 2020.
Coca-Cola also released a commercial starring NBA stars Trae Young and Anthony Edwards.
NBA Players have long advertised Sprite since its “Grant Hill drinks Sprite” commercials saw great success in 1995.
Because the internet is the internet, some people were not happy.
However, most of the reactions online ranged from positive to indifferent.