Nestlé Waters UK today announced that it will be introducing recycled plastic to all water bottles produced at its UK facility from April onwards.
Buxton Natural Mineral Water and Nestlé Pure Life bottles will contain 20 percent recycled plastic (rPET) and the announcement marks the first step toward the introduction of recycled material in its bottles. The company has a long standing commitment to sustainability and improving operations; previously it lightweighted bottles by an average of 25% which are fully recyclable and designed for recyclability.
The new Buxton bottles made with rPET remain fully recyclable and will be available for the first time during the Virgin Money London Marathon later this month, an event that Buxton has sponsored since 2013.
“As a business we have a responsibility to protect the environment, today and for future generations to come” said Hayley Lloyd House, Head of Communications at Nestlé Waters UK. “We have a longstanding relationship with the marathon through our different brands that have sponsored the event over the last 20 years. This event will be the first opportunity for consumers to use our bottles containing recycled plastic. Launching the bottles at the event is particularly poignant for us as the drive to include more recycled plastic in our packaging is indeed a marathon and not a sprint.”
“We are working in closely with industry partners and stakeholders to improve the amount of recycled materials in our products but we can only achieve long term success if consumers, government and industry join forces to improve recycling practices.”
Nestlé Waters UK is working in partnership with other industry players to co-fund an independent initiative convened by The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. This aims to develop an ambitious vision and roadmap to eliminate plastic packaging waste from drinks containers in the UK, convening stakeholders to take a broad-systems view to find sustainable solutions. The intent to publish this roadmap and vision for sustainable change in the drinks sector in the summer of 2018.
“We also invest in a number of education programmes that we hope inspires the next generation of recyclers to better understand what can be recycled and what to look out for on labels. The introduction of recycled plastic into our water business highlights how valuable our PET plastic bottles are because when recycled they can be transformed into something new again,” concludes Lloyd House.
The recycled plastic bottles will be used for both sparkling and still Buxton mineral water and all pack formats of Nestlé Pure Life bottles.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
CAMBRIDGE INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP
In partnership with Brecon Carreg Mineral Water, Danone Waters (UK & Ireland) Ltd, Harrogate Water Brands ,Highland Spring Group, Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd, Nestlé Waters UK, Montgomery Spring, Shepley Spring and Wenlock Spring, we are co-funding an independent initiative convened by The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership that aims to develop an ambitious vision and roadmap to eliminate plastic packaging waste from drinks containers in the UK. It will convene stakeholders to take a broad-systems view to find sustainable solutions with the intent to publish this roadmap and vision for sustainable change in the drinks sector in the summer of 2018.
EDUCATION PROGRAMMES:
Nestlé Waters actively promotes recycling through its product packaging, brand communication and community programmes. Working with RECOUP and Wastebusters (a national charitable organisation promoting recycling) the company has been raising awareness of recycling in schools through the R-Generation programme.
The company has also collaborated with charity, HUBBUB, to help with the creation of the UK’s first boat made out of 99% recycled plastic. The boat is used to excite children about recycling and takes regular trips around London’s Docklands to clean up the waterways. To see a video of the boat in action, please click here.
RENEWABLE ENERGY:
The Nestlé Waters Buxton facility has been using 100% renewable electricity since 2016 and the switch was an important milestone for business, forming part of its global commitments to continuously improving environmental stewardship, including reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reduce environmental impact across the life cycle and increase the use of renewable electricity.