Buxton Natural Mineral Water has achieved its 2019 commitment to not only have recyclable packaging but to help close the recycling loop by making its full range of bottles with recycled PET1 plastic (rPET), excluding caps and labels.
The bottles are made with high-quality food grade rPET that keeps Buxton’s natural mineral water pure, crisp, refreshing, safe, and conveniently available. In achieving this milestone, Nestlé Waters UK has significantly reduced the amount of virgin PET plastic used to make its bottles, helping to close the recycling loop and contribute to the circular economy for high-quality food grade recycled PET plastic.
This is an important part of Nestlé’s journey to reduce the use of virgin plastics by one third by 2025 and this achievement marks an important milestone in Nestlé Waters’ journey to become carbon neutral by 2025, supporting the Nestlé Group in its ambition to achieve net zero by 2050.
Buxton bottles made entirely with recycled PET excluding caps and labels, are available now in stores and the full range will have rolled out by the end of May. This summer, Buxton will be asking consumers to ‘Rise Up and Recycle’ in an on-pack and digital campaign.
Grant McKenzie, Managing Director of Nestlé Waters UK, said: “I am delighted that our full range of Buxton bottles are now made with high-quality recycled PET and that we can help to close the recycling loop on plastic. This has not been an easy journey, and we are proud to have overcome the obstacles to become the largest British water brand2 to have all its bottles made entirely with recycled plastic (excluding caps and labels).
“This is a huge step forward in our goal to make the circular economy for plastics a reality and reducing the need for new plastic. The bottles are designed for recycling and remain recyclable – once consumers have enjoyed hydrating with Buxton, they can simply flatten the bottle, put the cap back on and pop it into a recycling bin. They are only waste if we waste the opportunity to recycle them into new bottles.”
Through a long-term partnership with Biffa, Buxton is working to ensure a future UK supply of high-quality food grade recycled PET plastic. The partnership will enable Nestlé Waters UK to lead the shift to using high-quality food-grade rPET for its packaging made here in the UK from PET collected and recycled onshore.
Chris Hanlon, Commercial Director at Biffa, said: “Our partnership with Nestlé Waters is another step towards making the circularity of PET plastic a reality. Together, we are helping to close the loop on PET plastic, reducing the need for virgin plastic and securing a supply of high-quality rPET here in the UK. I want to wish the team at Buxton congratulations on reaching this sustainability milestone.”
Nestlé Waters continues to collaborate with others across the industry to improve the national recycling rate and supports the UK-wide introduction of Deposit Return Schemes.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the chemical name for polyester. It is the preferred packaging choice for Buxton’s natural mineral water. Buxtons’ caps and labels are made from different virgin plastic polymers.
2 IRI, 16th April 2022
Buxton and its parent company Nestlé Waters has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and to reducing its impact on the environment:
- Since 2013, Buxton has removed 11960tons of PET plastic from its bottles, now producing its lightest ever bottles containing as little plastic as possible, whilst maintaining the durability and safety consumers expect from Buxton.
- In Buxton, Nestlé Waters UK is working with partners to implement natural flood management systems that will help protect the town and local community from flooding, as part of its efforts to manage water sustainably and support local, regenerative water solutions.
- Nestlé Waters site in Buxton, Derbyshire, was the first brand and manufacturing site in the UK to achieve the prestigious Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard certification with platinum status – the highest certification level awarded for responsible water stewardship.
- The state-of-the-art Buxton factory was designed and built with sustainability at its core. The factory is one of Europe’s most innovative and environmentally sustainable and powered by renewable electricity.
About NESTLE WATERS
Nestlé Waters is the water division of the Nestlé Group and the leading bottled water company worldwide. We operate in 26 countries with 49 production facilities and more than 21,000 employees. We are present in most distribution channels and consequently offer a large portfolio of 39 unique brands. In the UK these include our local brands, BUXTON® Natural Mineral Water, Nestlé® Pure Life® and Princes Gate, as well as our international water brands S.Pellegrino®, SanPellegrino®, Acqua Panna® and Perrier®.
Contact Information
For more information or any further questions please contact the Nestlé UK & Ireland press office on 020 8667 6005 or [email protected]
Follow us on social media @NestléUKI