All small-format bottles for the still and flavored versions of the three natural mineral water brands are made from 100% recycled plastic and remain totally recyclable
Paris, March 9, 2021 – Nestlé Waters France today announced that the bottles for the flavored and on-the-go ranges (formats of less than 1 liter) of its VITTEL®, HEPAR® and CONTREX® brands are now made of 100% recycled plastic (rPET). Nestlé Waters is accelerating the use of recycled materials for the bottles of its natural mineral water lines with the objective of having all of its bottles contain rPET by the end of 2021. This is a major step toward Nestlé Waters’ goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2025 for its entire brand portfolio.
One more step towards the carbon neutrality of Nestlé Waters brands by 2025
After the successful launch of the first 100% rPET 75cL natural mineral water bottle in France by VITTEL®, followed by the VITTEL® 2l and 70cl bottles from 100% recycled material at the end of 2019, Nestlé Waters continues to accelerate the ecological design of its packaging. It increased to 100% from 35% the recycled plastic content in all of its VITTEL®, HEPAR® and CONTREX® 33cl and 50cl bottles, and in the VITTEL® Up and CONTREX® Green drinks. At the same time, the rest of the VITTEL®, HEPAR® and CONTREX® natural mineral water range will include a minimum of 35% recycled material within the year. This innovation has been made possible thanks to an investment of more than €24 million since 2019 to equip the Nestlé Waters plant in the Vosges region of France with more advanced production lines and systems.
“By adopting 100% recycled plastic for all of our small bottles for still and flavored water, we are taking another important step forward in sustainably reducing our use of virgin plastic in our packaging,” noted Françoise Bresson, Corporate Social Responsibility and Communications Director of Nestlé Waters France. “Considering that one ton of recycled plastic makes it possible to save the equivalent of 2 tons of CO2, this approach is key to our contribution to the fight against climate change and to achieving our carbon neutrality objective for our VITTEL®, HEPAR® and CONTREX® brands in the very near term.”
More than raising awareness, Nestlé Waters wants to continue to take action and mobilize consumers
French consumers want to make more responsible purchases but often can’t find products allowing them to do so. As early as in 2018, the use of recycled materials ranked among the top 3 most popular materials for consumers of natural mineral water. This is why Nestlé Waters is accelerating the use of recycled plastic in its entire range, to be part of the solution and allow consumers to join in this commitment.
“The consumer must be able to choose a brand which is taking action through commitments to the circular economy and more sustainable packaging; this is the challenge we are working on with our different brands at Nestlé Waters,” commented Nestlé Waters France Marketing Director Laure Goutagneux.“We are also already thinking about tomorrow’s alternatives, such as the use of plant-based and biodegradable materials. Still, recycled plastic remains the main alternative to virgin plastic today., which is why we are committed to this path: to give consumers a way to contribute, right now, to reducing the impact of packaging on the environment.”
In parallel with the use of rPET, the Nestlé Waters Group is investing in research and development at its packaging research centers in Switzerland and Vittel in France, to develop new forms of packaging. The group is also collaborating with partners, such as the Danimer company, to design bottles based on bio-plastics and biodegradable materials. Nestlé Waters is also participating in the work of French start-up Carbios to develop new approaches to enzymatic recycling with a goal of achieving infinite recycle of PET plastic.