Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Germany is launching new packaging in the form of the 0.85 litre PET bottle. It will be available from April for the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Fanta, Sprite and Mezzo Mix.
The 0.85 litre PET bottle is currently only available from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in Germany. The bottle body is made from 100 per cent recycled PET. It is filled at the production sites in Dorsten, Genshagen and Knetzgau. After 17 years, it is the first new packaging from Coca-Cola in Germany in the area of large non-returnable PET bottles over 0.5 litres.
„We are seeing a trend in carbonated soft drinks towards smaller pack sizes. Up to 10 per cent of the soft drinks volume in food retail is accounted for by packaging between 0.5 litres and 1 litre.“
Arne Koslowski, Vice President Commercial Development at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Germany
The recommended retail price for the 0.85 litre bottle is significantly lower than that of the 1 litre non-returnable PET bottle. „We are launching a new pack on the market and filling a gap in the range,“ says Arne Koslowski.
1.5 million euros invested in remodelling the plants
The new 0.85-litre PET bottle for Coca-Cola & Co. was filled for the first time at the beginning of March 2025 at the plant in Knetzgau, Lower Franconia. This was followed by the Genshagen and Dorsten plants. Around 1.5 million euros were invested in the conversions at the three plants.
„The new PET bottles have a different blank than the previously filled bottles and therefore a different height and diameter. We therefore had to expand various machines and systems to adapt them to the new dimensions. The initial bottling went off without a hitch.“
Xaver Labonté, Plant Manager of the Knetzgau plant of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Germany
In order to be able to fill the 0.85 litre bottles in the plants, new blow moulds were installed in the blow moulding machine, among other things. The PET bottles are formed from bottle blanks just a few centimetres in size.
Source: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Germany
