Icelandic Glacial taps into sparkling PET bottle market with new packaging launch

30-Apr-2017 - Last updated on 03-May-2017 at 19:45 GMT

Icelandic Glacial aims to capture on--the-go consumption occasions with PET packaging.

Icelandic Glacial has launched its premium sparkling water in PET bottles, resembling its glass packaging counterpart, to capture on-the-go usage occasions and tapping into the fast-growing premium PET bottle market.

Bottled at the source in Iceland, the Ölfus Spring, Icelandic Glacial's still and sparkling waters have a naturally low mineral content. The glacier-sculpted BPA-free PET bottles feature a similar smooth glacier-sculpted design to its glass bottles, but have fully recyclable plastic caps instead of screw-on metal caps

“We launched sparkling in PET to offer a complete portfolio for both consumers and business partners,” Icelandic Glacial chairman and co-founder, Jon Olafsson, told BeverageDaily.

“Having sparkling available in PET allows for convenient, refreshment on the go whereas glass is often enjoyed for special occasions or dining out."

Icelandic Glacial believes it can win over bottle water market share as consumers become increasingly interested in the origin of their food and beverage products and switch to clean label consumer habits.

“Some people do not believe our water actually comes from Iceland. As we continue to focus our efforts on building brand awareness, education consumers about our source and the attributes of our water is crucial,” Olafsson said.

Just like the existing still PET lines, the company’s newly-launched PET bottles as well as its cases are 100% recyclable and will be available in 500mL bottles, according to the company.

The company also uses 100% natural green energy to maintain a "net zero" carbon footprint.

Health trends driving PET bottle growth

The PET bottled water market is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 4% from 2016 to 2020 increasing from 488 billion to 800 billion units by 2020 with bottled beverages representing 14% market share, according to Euromonitor.

Growing health trends are enabling PET bottle growth the bottled water and RTD being among the largest drivers. Innovation in packaging shape will also expand the PET bottled beverage market by helping increase consumer engagement, Euromonitor said.

As Icelandic Glacial continues to grow it plans to look into other water categories, according to Olafsson.

“There is a lot of opportunity to expand our portfolio. We currently have no presence in categories such as enhanced water, fruit-infused water, etc., but that could change down the line,” Olafsson said.