L&P Drops Brown Bottles for Clear After 119 Years

A 119-year-old Kiwi favorite is getting a makeover that's as much about the future as it is about honoring the past.

L&P, the lemony soft drink that's been a New Zealand staple since 1907, is swapping its signature brown plastic bottles for clear ones this month. The Coca-Cola Company announced the nationwide rollout will make every bottle easier to recycle in New Zealand's current recycling system.

Tracey Evans, head of marketing for Coca-Cola in New Zealand, called L&P a "proper icon" and acknowledged the company didn't take the decision lightly. But she emphasized the change gives every bottle a better chance of being recycled back into another bottle.

The drink itself isn't changing one bit. The same lemony taste that originated from naturally carbonated water mixed with lemon juice in the early 1900s remains exactly as Kiwis remember it.

To celebrate the transition, the famous seven-meter-tall L&P bottle landmark in Paeroa is getting a temporary makeover. The beloved roadside attraction will be re-skinned to show half brown and half clear, marking the shift from old to new.

Clear plastic bottles are significantly easier to recycle compared to brown plastic in New Zealand's recycling infrastructure. This means more bottles can return to store shelves as new containers instead of ending up in landfills.

The Bright Side

Sometimes the smallest changes create the biggest impact. While brown bottles have been part of L&P's identity since the Ohinemuri spring first bubbled up its magic, going clear means this Kiwi classic can stick around for another 119 years.

The change proves that even iconic brands can evolve without losing what makes them special. All sizes of L&P will progressively appear in clear packaging at supermarkets, dairies, and service stations across the country starting this April.

Future-proofing a classic means today's kids can enjoy the same drink their great-grandparents loved, just in packaging that's kinder to the planet.