"Not a Sprite in a green bottle, I feel like I've lost my soul"

　　China News Service, July 30 (Zuo Yuqing) "The heart is cool and the heart is flying." The classic six-character advertising slogan and the iconic green bottle packaging are the memories of Sprite engraved in the DNA of many people.

Today, however, Sprite is about to bid farewell to the green bottle packaging that has been used for more than 60 years.

Green bottle

　　According to CNN, the Coca-Cola Company said on the 27th local time that

, thus ending the history of the green bottle for more than 60 years.

　　However, Coca-Cola also said the green hue will still be used on Sprite labels, and a new logo and packaging design will also appear on Sprite bottles.

　　In addition, other beverages in green bottles, including Fresca, Seagram and MelloYello, will be replaced by clear containers in the coming months.

　　In this regard, many netizens said that when they gave up the green bottle of Sprite, they felt "lost their soul": "I always feel that it is not good to drink if it is not a green bottle." "The transparent bottle of Sprite is like mineral water/white vinegar."

Some netizens commented.

　　Some netizens also joked: "If you buy a box of green bottles now, will it be called out of print Sprite next month?"

　　Zhongxin Finance noticed that the report did not mention the area and scope of the green bottle packaging replacement.

In this regard, the customer service of Swire Coca-Cola Shanghai Shenmei (Coca-Cola bottling partner) responded to the media that it has not received a notice of changing the bottle packaging, and is still using green bottles.

Why change packaging?

　　For the reason for the replacement of the packaging, Coca-Cola's explanation is that the current bottle contains green polyethylene terephthalate (PET) that cannot be recycled, and the use of transparent bottles can reduce plastic waste.

　　According to public information, PET is widely used in industrial fields and daily life due to its good durability and plasticity.

PET is non-toxic, odorless, and has the advantages of good hygiene and safety, which also makes it suitable for food packaging.

　　However, the accumulation and migration of a large amount of PET waste in the natural environment has brought a serious burden to the global ecosystem. Therefore, the degradation of PET has also become a global hot issue. At present, the environmental protection problem of PET is mainly solved by recycling. .

　　The Coca-Cola Company has said that the process of mechanically recycling green bottles into transparent bottles is difficult, and transparent plastic bottles are easier to recycle.

　　In fact, Coca-Cola is often criticized for creating environmentally damaging plastic waste.

According to foreign media reports, in 2020, the company was rated as the world's largest plastic polluter by an environmental protection company.

Its logo and branding were found on 13,834 pieces of discarded plastic in 51 countries, often found in public places such as parks and beaches.

　　Zhongxin Finance noticed that most of the beverage packaging on the market currently uses transparent plastic bottles, and only a small amount of beverages such as Sprite and Seven Up still use green plastic bottles.

Once again officially announced, Sprite and "green" are inseparable

　　In fact, this isn't the first time Coca-Cola has announced a change to Sprite's green bottles.

　　As early as 2019, some foreign media reported that Sprite would replace the iconic green bottle with transparent plastic bottles from September of that year, and promised not to pass the cost of new bottles to supermarkets, so consumers’ purchase price should remain unchanged.

　　Then, shelves around the world were still filled with Sprite Green bottles.

The official announcement again this time may also reveal that Coca-Cola is "hard to part" with the green bottle.

Screenshot from the official website of Coca-Cola China.

　　In 1961, Sprite was officially launched.

Before going public, The Coca-Cola Company began to conduct a lot of research, from the perspective of brand image and target consumers, and finally adopted green as the color of Sprite.

　　The Coca-Cola Company's design proved to be a success.

For more than 60 years, the cool and refreshing green has long been one of the symbols of Sprite.

Even on the colorful shelves of supermarkets, the highly recognizable green is enough to attract attention.

　　So, will Sprite, which has given up green bottle packaging, still be loved by consumers?

　　"On the whole, it is more difficult to identify Sprite as a whole by giving up green packaging, but as the world's largest food and beverage company, this replacement of packaging has implemented the concept of low carbon, which is worth advocating from the perspective of social responsibility. "China food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng said.

(Zhongxin Finance)