For the first time in its 119-year history, Aotearoa’s iconic soft drink, L&P, is swapping its signature brown plastic bottle for clear.
To mark the milestone, the seven-metre-tall bottle statue in Paeroa has been re-skinned for a limited time – with half in the classic brown and half in the new clear look.
Rolling out nationwide in April, the move marks the most significant packaging change the drink has made in over a century.
It was a deliberate step towards better recyclability, beverage company Coca-Cola Oceania said – with clear PET easier to recycle compared to brown plastic in New Zealand, the move increases the chance bottles can be turned back into new bottles rather than single-use items.
Before anyone panics though, the drink itself hasn’t changed a drop. The same lemony fizz Kiwis know and love is staying exactly as is.
“L&P is a proper Kiwi icon, so we don’t take changing it lightly,” director of marketing New Zealand Tracey Evans said.
“The brown bottle is part of our long history since naturally carbonated water from the Ohinemuri spring was mixed with lemon juice back in the early 1900s.
“The shift to clear plastic bottles is about easier recycling compared to brown plastic bottles, but we’re still the same old L&P Kiwis have known forever,” Tracey said.
Clear bottles will progressively replace brown plastic across all bottle sizes from April, with stock appearing in supermarkets, dairies and service stations nationwide.
