STONEY ginger beer classic is moving from its established brown bottle to clear PET packaging in South Africa, with a phased transition beginning in June 2026, Coca-Cola South Africa has announced.
The packaging change will start with the 2.25-litre STONEY bottle, while the remaining portfolio is scheduled to transition over time. Clear 2.25-litre bottles are expected to begin appearing on retail shelves nationwide from June.
According to the company, the shift is intended to make STONEY plastic bottles easier to collect and recycle. The brand will retain distinct labels and closure colours across its variants to maintain product identification as the bottle colour changes.
“This transition reflects our ongoing focus on improving packaging design and recyclability. By moving STONEY to clear bottles, we are helping to make them easier to collect and recycle, while supporting economic activity across the waste collection and recycling value chain,” said Mario I. Garcia, Vice President and Managing Director, Coca-Cola South Africa.
The move follows an earlier packaging transition for Sprite in South Africa, where the beverage changed from green to clear plastic bottles to improve recyclability.
Coca-Cola supplies beverages in multiple packaging formats, including glass, plastic bottles, aluminium cans and refillable packaging. The STONEY transition forms part of the company’s continuing changes to beverage packaging design and material choices.
The rollout marks a visible change for STONEY, whose brown bottle has been a recognisable part of the ginger beer brand’s presentation. While the packaging colour is changing, Coca-Cola said the beverage itself will retain its existing KWETSA taste.
The phased approach will initially focus on the 2.25-litre format before extending across other STONEY pack sizes and variants over time in the South African market.