
Nestlé Waters North America will increase the use of recycled content in many of its popular sized bottles of its Arrowhead brand 100% Mountain Spring Water in 2016.
The decision is in accordance with the firm’s commitment to support recycling in California, US.
The brand will have a 38% increase of recycled content usage in its products, and will make sure that most of its bottle sizes contain up to 50% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET).
Nestlé Waters North America president Tim Brown said: "Arrowhead has been part of California history for more than a century.
"We are continuously evolving our products to have the smallest environmental footprint possible.
"Thanks to California’s strong commitment to recycling, there is high quality rPET available, enabling us to increase our use of recycled material."
Half litre bottles manufactured by the brand already uses rPET, whereas Arrowhead’s plastic bottles are made with polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Recycled PET producer CarbonLITE Industries will be supplying the firm with the required rPET material.
CarbonLITE founder Leon Farahnik said: "California’s recycling programme leads the nation, recovering billions of plastic containers each year.
"By reusing these materials, Arrowhead will save 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide from production annually. That’s a significant reduction in greenhouse gases and a model for other packaging companies."
Nestlé Waters Arrowhead brand supply chain director Dave Thorpe said: "Using recycled content, plastic products and other materials are converted back into new bottles.
"In this ‘closed loop’ model, recycled packaging can be reused indefinitely and can help foster a circular economy that prioritizes sustainability."
Image: Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water. Photo: courtesy of Nestle Waters North America.