Today, Coca-Cola will announce the nationwide launch this year of a new 13.2-oz carbonated soft drink bottle. The package is aimed at consumers looking for a smaller portion size and a lower price than the 20-oz soft drink bottle now standard for immediate consumption, according to the company. The bottle, excluding the label and cap, will be made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET), addressing a key concern from young and environmentally conscious consumers. The 13.2-oz bottle is Coke’s first national US launch of a new soft drink package since the 7.5-oz mini-can in 2010. The innovation also is Coke’s first national US launch of a package made from 100% rPET, according to Alpa Sutaria, VP and GM of sustainability for Coke’s North America operating unit. “This is two great things that are coming together,” she said. The first packages are rolling out this month.

C-STORE BOOST. The new 13.2-oz bottle will be focused on convenience retail. The package is expected to boost store revenue by +3% on average, compared to Coke’s existing immediate consumption lineup, according to a sell sheet circulated to convenience and other small store retailers. The innovation also is expected to be +30% incremental to the 20-oz package, attracting consumers who would otherwise avoid a purchase altogether. The package is aimed primarily at teens and millennial consumers between the ages of 18 and 35.

PRICING. For Coca-Cola and Sprite, the suggested retail for the 13.2-oz package is $1.59, or about 12-cents per ounce. By comparison, a 20-ounce bottle retails for $1.99, or almost 10-cents per ounce. “It’s a great price point for that snacking occasion in convenience retail,” Sutaria said. The price point also helps with the higher cost of rPET material. “Managing costs is a big piece of this,” she said. “And, of course, managing the balance of profitability across our organization and with our bottlers is important.”

ROLLOUT DETAILS. The 13.2-oz rPET bottle will be available this month for brands Coca-Cola, Coke Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, and Sprite in New York (Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages), Florida (Coca-Cola Beverages Florida) and California (Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling). By this summer, Fanta will be added to the package’s lineup and availability will be nationwide. As the 13.2-oz package expands beyond lead markets, some virgin plastic will be used until rPET supplies catch up, Sutaria said. For Sprite, the new rPET bottle will be clear, eliminating the green tint that makes the bottles more difficult to recycle into new soft drink packages.

EXPANSION. Also this month, Coke will begin transitioning 20-oz carbonated soft drink bottles to 100% rPET (excluding the cap and label) for brands Coca-Cola, Coke Zero Sugar, and Diet Coke. The packages will roll out initially in California, New York, and Texas (Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages). By April, Dasani will launch 20-oz bottles made from 100% rPET in California, New York, and Texas. Nationwide, Dasani 20-oz bottles will be converted to 30% rPET content, according to Coke. Then in July, Smartwater will launch 20-oz bottles made from 100% rPET in California and New York. As part of Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste goals, the new rPET package rollout will reduce the use of new plastic across the company’s North America portfolio by more than 20%, compared to a baseline established in 2018, according to the company. With the addition of the US, Coke will have 100% rPET packaging in 19 markets around the world, Sutaria said. “This is a big deal,” she said. “It is another big proof point globally of what we can do, and the power of our Coke system.”

ON-PACK MESSAGING. Coke’s 100% rPET packages in the US will include consistent on-pack messages inviting consumers to “Recycle Me Again.” The effort is part of an industry-wide effort coordinated by American Beverage to increase recycling rates in the US to reduce plastic waste and increase rPET availability.

SMARTWATER ALUMINUM. In February, Smartwater will rollout resealable and reusable aluminum 18-oz bottles in California and Florida.