Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa announced it's rolling out returnable 2-litre plastic bottles to more parts of the country after a successful pilot in the Eastern Cape last year.
For each bottle a consumer returns, they get a R9 deposit, meaning if it costs R20, a consumer will ultimately only pay R11.
Coca-cola Beverages MD Velaphi Ratshefola says the initiative was a dual purpose of making the product affordable to the consumer and also making a positive impact on the environment.
Ratshefola says the project has now launched in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the northern parts of Gauteng.
“The consumer response to the new 2L returnable PET bottles has been overwhelmingly positive. We have seen customers in the Eastern Cape opting to switch over to purchasing the returnable 2L bottles and returning them after consumption. After each bottle reaches the end of its useable lifecycle, it joins a regional manufacturing value chain which ultimately means less pollution in the environment,” says Velaphi Ratshefola, Managing Director of CCBSA.
The returnable bottles are said to be identifiable by a new paper label, with ‘RETURNABLE’ appearing in green on the front of the bottle. The roll-out constitutes a significant investment by CCBSA in the new packaging line to ensure that the PET bottles comply with global standards for design, hygiene and safety for PET packaging.