Coca-Cola Label-Free PET Bottle
WINS 2023 WORLDSTAR SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING SPECIAL AWARD
2023 WORLDSTARSUSTAINABLE PACKAGINGSPECIAL AWARDSILVER WINNER

2023

Coca-Cola Label-Free PET Bottle
Coca-Cola Tokyo Research &Development Company, Limited
KEY FEATURES

100% recycled PET materials

User-friendly: no hassle to peel label
off and easy to crush bottle for disposal

Label-freeDrinkable size of 350ml

Attractive bottle shape having
brand equity

Lightweight bottle

Coca-Cola Tokyo Research & Development Company, Limited
is a research and development subsidiary in Japan of The
Coca-Cola Company whose headquarters are located inAtlanta, U.S.A. The Company’s business is the developmentof products oriented to the market in Japan and research
into quality control methods.

REGIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM

COORDINATED BY

WORLD
PACKAGING
ORGANISATIONJAPAN2023 WORLDSTARSUSTAINABLE PACKAGINGSPECIAL AWARDSILVER WINNER

1Coca-Cola Label-Free PET Bottle
In the context of your award-winning packaging
innovation, what do you see as Sustainable
Packaging? How does this pack stand out?
The iconic Coca-Cola contour bottle was launchedin 1915 with the concept of being recognised even
if it was shattered or touched in the dark. The newCoca-Cola contour PET bottle has evolved from thistradition by adding an element of ‘sustainability’with a unique label-free feature. It reproduces theunique curved shape of the traditional contour bottle,
and the Coca-Cola spencer logo is dynamicallyplaced for a bolder brand appeal. Also, the PET
bottle is made from 100% recycled PET and its
weight has been reduced by 2.0g. This package isa next-generation sustainable PET bottle which canenhance brand equity even without a label.
What would you say were the decision-making
drivers (Internal and External) influencing thisaward-winning packaging design? Did your clientor the consumers request the changes?
Label-free PET bottle products are gaining consumer
acceptance, as they can remove the hassle to peellabels off, making sorting easier. The market forthese products is expanding in Japan, particularly
through on-line channels. On the other hand, with
the increasing variety of label-free products on themarket, product differentiation has become evenmore important. Ensuring brand appeal is a crucial
topic in this growing sector.

What benefits does this new design offer yourbusiness/your client’s business and the end
consumers? Why is the pack more sustainable?
Japanese laws and local government regulations
mandate the separation of packaging materials
at home for recycling. In the case of PET bottle
products, consumers must separate the bottle,
the closure, and the label at home. Thus, labelfree products can remove the hassle to peellabels off and promote recycling. Additionally, it
is common for households to crush PET bottles
before discarding them to save volume.
However, in terms of barrier properties, the wall
thickness of PET bottles for carbonated beverages
generally needs to be thicker compared to noncarbonated beverages, making them more difficult
to crush. Since the bottle weight has been reducedby 2.0g, it has become easier to crush the bottle
compared to the conventional one. This means that
Coca-Cola new label-free bottle is user-friendly
and promotes sustainability.

2Coca-Cola Label-Free PET Bottle
What volumes of materials, packaging and waste have you saved by designing this new packaging?
Did you do this through changing materials, light weighting, recycled content, making the packs
recyclable, compostable or reusable?
The bottle is made from 100% recycled PET which emit around 60% less CO2 than conventional petroleumbased PET bottles. The bottle weight has been reduced to 21g from the original 23g. Furthermore, it islabel free.
What does your company have planned in the future? Any new innovations on the horizon?
The Coca-Cola system in Japan undertakes activities under the three pillars of Design, Collect and Partnerin line with the global vision of a World Without Waste. They reduce waste from packaging and contributetoward encouraging cyclical reuse of plastic resources in Japan.
The company targets include using sustainable materials* in PET bottles of all products by 2025 andswitching to 100% sustainable materials for all PET bottles by 2030, which Coca-Cola will achieve bypromoting bottle-to-bottle recycling (horizontal recycling), label-free and package-free products andlighter packaging.
*Sustainable materials: Total of recycled PET materials from bottle-to-bottle recycling and plant-based
PET materials.

32023 WINNERWORLDSTAR
PACKAGING AWARD

2023 WORLDSTARSUSTAINABLE PACKAGINGSPECIAL AWARDSILVER WINNER

Coca-Cola Label-Free PET Bottle
What does winning a global WorldStar Packaging Award mean to your business?
“We are deeply privileged to have been awarded theSilver Award in the Sustainability Special Award and theBronze Award in the President Award. Our ambitious
sustainability goal named ‘World Without Waste’ iscommitted to material reduction and the application ofsustainable materials. We achieved three monumental
accomplishments with the Coca-Cola label-free bottle- the ingenious absence of a label, light weight, andthe use of 100% recycled PET. It fills our hearts withimmense joy that our packaging initiatives have been
evaluated as the vanguard of sustainability-focusedpackages. These distinguished awards not only fan
the flames of our commitment towards cultivating
sustainable practices in packaging but also serve toinspire eco-conscious practices across the packaging
industry,” says Ryo Iida, Package Development, CocaCola Tokyo R&D Co., Ltd.

WorldStar Packaging Awards
Owned & Operated by the World Packaging Organisation the WorldStarPackaging Awards is the preeminent awards program in the world.
Only packaging that has won recognition in a recognised national orregional competition, either in the present year or the previous year iseligible to apply for WorldStar Competition. Currently, 73 competitions
from 39 countries and regions are recognised by WPO as qualifying forentry to the WorldStar Packaging Awards program.
There are 18 General award categories and 5 special awards including
Accessible Packaging Design, Marketing, Sustainable Packaging Design,Packaging that Saves Food and the President’s Award.

WorldStar Special Award - Sustainability
The WorldStar Sustainable Packaging Design Special Awardis designed to recognise companies that have developed innovativepackaging solutions that incorporate sustainability considerations. All
entries are judged on Sustainable Packaging Design considerations
such as social impact, material, source reduction, energy and recovery.
www.worldstar.org

About The World Packaging Organisation
WORLDPACKAGINGORGANISATION

The World Packaging Organisation is a non-profit, non-governmental,
international federation of national packaging institutes and associations,regional packaging federations and other interested parties including
corporations and trade associations.
www.worldpackaging.org
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