‘Healthy’ packaging: Pepsi in a glass bottle that you don’t need to return

After shifting its focus to healthier products, PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt Ltd has turned to a healthier option in packaging. The local arm of American food and beverages company PepsiCo Inc has introduced non-returnable glass bottle with a twist-and-turn cap for Pepsi Black, a zero-calorie carbonated beverage.

This is first time a carbonated beverage maker is selling cola in glass bottles that consumers do not need to return at the point of sale. The bottles can be re-used at home. So far, Pepsi Black was available in cans and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

Other carbonated beverages sold by PepsiCo are available in returnable glass bottles — a form of packaging that has been getting replaced by PET fast. In the past four years, according to PepsiCo’s internal estimates, glass bottles dropped to 19% of total carbonated beverages packaging from 46%. Companies have even brought single-serve PET bottles (250 ml and 300 ml) to replace returnable glass bottles.

Non-returnable glass bottles come with a lot of advantages. “Non-returnable glass bottles make on-the-go consumption possible. And these bottles can be re-used at home,” said Raj Rishi Singh, director (marketing for Pepsi), PepsiCo India.

The company will initially sell Pepsi Black in non-returnable glass bottles in metro cities, and will extend the reach to other towns. PepsiCo, however, did not change the price while the cost of packaging is higher for non-returnable glass bottles. Like 250-ml cans, the 250-ml non-returnable glass bottles are available at ₹25.

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