The latest phase of CVS’s brand refresh makes its bottles fully recyclable

FastCompany: CVS is cutting down on single-use plastic with a new, fully recyclable aluminum bottle for some of its pharmacy’s most common generic over-the-counter products. The pharmacy’s aluminum bottles are being rolled out first with value-sized CVS brand allergy and pain relief products. Shiny and silver, the bottles are designed not just to be environmentally friendly, but also to look more premium, although the price itself is unchanged.

Brightly colored tops are paired with color-corresponding sticker labels that show actual size images of the pills inside, as well as callouts for product comparisons and the text “Infinitely Recyclable Aluminum.” CVS collaborated on the bottles with Cabinet Health, which uses glass bottles for its medications. CVS became the first brick-and-mortar retailer to offer Cabinet products in 2023.

(While there have been attempts at making pill bottles out of biodegradable materials like paper , these have yet to go mass-market.) [Photo: CVS] The new aluminum bottles come after last year’s refresh of the pharmacy’s over-the-counter health and wellness line . Last June, CVS Pharmacy introduced 68 OTC products like band aids and cough drops with packages meant to enhance visibility for the brand on its own shelves and provide clearer, easier-to-read text. The company said the refresh was informed by feedback from thousands of customers, and it comes amid a wider revamp of private label packaging and design.

As consumers pinched by inflation trade down from national brands to save money, retailers from big-box stores to grocers to pharmacies have upgraded their packaging. [Photo: CVS] For CVS, where pharmacy services account for a majority of revenue, making its over-the-counter generics as attractive as possible is a consumer-facing business decision. If its customers recycle more of their bottles, it’s also good for the planet. It’s estimated 61,000 tons of consumer pill bottles and caps, which are notoriously difficult to recycle, are discarded annually in the U.S., according to Closed Loop Center, a recycling consultancy and investment firm.

CVS Health has committed to reducing its use of plastics by 50% by 2030, including making all of its store-brand products reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

CVS's initiative to introduce fully recyclable aluminum bottles is significant for the brand industry as it reflects a growing trend towards sustainability, making it highly relevant for brand strategy professionals focused on eco-friendly practices.