Lucozade Ribena Suntory is today announcing an ambitious redesign programme for its best-selling 500ml Ribena bottle. This is the company’s latest move to ensure its packaging is fully recyclable within the UK’s current recycling infrastructure
The redesign is an exciting opportunity for Lucozade Ribena Suntory to enhance Ribena’s brand equity in consumers’ minds as a forward-looking brand. 10 years ago, Ribena became the first UK soft drink brand to use bottles made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET), preventing 40,000 tonnes of additional plastic from being produced. In January 2019, Ribena’s best-selling bottle was light weight, removing a further 325 tonnes of plastic from production annually.
Seymourpowell has been appointed to lead the redesign, following an in-depth agency pitch process which began in the summer of 2018.
Lucozade Ribena Suntory recognises how packaging plays an integral role in communicating with consumers. It sees the redesign of its bottles as a significant opportunity to not only mitigate its impact on the environment, but also to modernise and maintain long-term relevance with consumers. The company is building on the success of Lucozade Sport, which redesigned its bottle in 2017, an evolution that drove growth for the brand to levels which had not been seen before.
This redesign is an opportunity to broaden the consumer perception of packaging, encouraging people to consider the full life of a bottle when purchasing Ribena, a brand which is passionate about its role in the circular economy.
A key element of the redesign will be a reduction of the full printed sleeves that cover some of the manufacturer’s bottles. This packaging was a revolution in the 1980s when soft drinks packaging moved away from glass bottles. The label protected soft drinks from UV and gave the brand prominence.
Speaking about the redesign, Hannah Norbury, marketing director at Lucozade Ribena Suntory said: “We are really excited about what the future holds for Ribena, which will be available with a new bottle and label from 2020... Seymourpowell impressed us with its ability to get to the heart of the brief and has inspired us with its ideas which will help grow the brand while pushing the boundaries of our sustainability credentials.”
