The Canada-based company said it had overcome a number of challenges to bring the bottle to market after investing seven years in its development.
Finding a supplier to develop the technology to make a container of partial and then total recycled plastic had been the first hurdle, a Naya spokesman told FoodProductionDaily.com. Ensuring sufficient supply once the technology was in place and obtaining health certification from various Government agencies had been two more challenges. The final test had been to secure enough retail orders to make the product commercially viable, he added.
Daniel Cotte, president of Naya Waters, said: “We are proud to be the first major spring water brand to introduce 100 percent recycled plastic bottles, which is a win for the environment as well as for consumers who enjoy bottled water and want to reduce their impact. This innovation is another demonstration of our commitment to put the environment at the heart of Naya's company strategy."
Carbon footprint
The bottle is due to be launched in New York this week and across the rest of North America in early 2010. The company said its communication strategy would be “very low key” as it recognised the need for further research into an “even more environmental friendly packaging”.
Naya said it was the first Canadian company to have the carbon footprint of some of its products certified by the Carbon Trust, based on significant reductions energy usage and carbon emissions from using rPET.
“Naya reduces the full lifecycle carbon footprint of its 1.5 litre bottle by 30 percent when using 100 percent rPET versus the same bottle made with virgin plastic, as certified by the Carbon Trust,” said a company statement.
Euan Murray, Carbon Trust general manager of carbon foot-printing, said: “The 100 percent rPET bottle represents a significant reduction in carbon over virgin plastic and we applaud this important step.”
The company estimated that if 10 percent of the US beverage industry adopted 100 percent rPET for its plastic bottles, the reduced use of virgin plastic would save 715,000 barrels of oil per year