Targeting single-use plastics

Ever & Ever aluminum bottle — Ever & Ever water will be in a metal bottle among rows of plastic.

Poland Spring PET bottle — Poland Spring pledges to switch its still water bottles to rPET.

With concerns about single-use plastics increasing, a company known for boxed coconut water has started selling aluminum bottles of water.

The Ever & Ever brand of still and sparkling water is meant to disrupt the bottled water category, according to parent company All Market Inc., which makes Vita Coco water.

“Unlike single-use plastic water bottles, Ever & Ever aluminum bottles are easily and infinitely recyclable when disposed of correctly in a recycling bin,” the company’s announcement says.

The product gives people on the go who left their reusable water bottles at home a more environmentally friendly option, AMI says.

“Consumers are increasingly aware of the negative impact of single-use plastic, yet their choices in grocery and convenience stores are limited,” says Jane Prior, chief marketing officer of AMI. “When recycled, an aluminum bottle can be turned into a new can in as little as 60 days, so we knew it was the most viable, sustainable alternative to single-use plastic water bottles.”

The reverse osmosis water with added electrolytes comes in 16-ounce Alumi Tek bottles from Ball Corporation for $1.99 each and in 12 packs for $23.99.

At the same time, Poland Springs water is addressing single-use plastics by starting a transition to all recycled PET for water bottles by 2022. The brand from Nestlé Waters North America says it will be the first major bottled water to reach that goal.

The brand kicked off the effort with recycled plastic for 1-liter bottles and for a new premium product called Poland Spring Origin in 900 mL bottles. All bottles for still water that are less than a gallon in size will be included (but not caps or sleeves).

For more on the latest in packaging for beverages, click here!

Nestlé Waters North America announced late last year that it will use 25% recycled plastic across its U.S. products by 2021, with a goal of 50% by 2025.

“Bottles like these, which are made from 100% recycled plastic and are 100% recyclable, are proof that a fully circular economy is within our reach,” says Fernando Mercé, president and CEO of Nestlé Waters North America.

For more information, visit www.drinkeverandever.com, www.polandspring.com

Rose Shilling is a previous managing editor of Food Engineering Magazine. She wrote feature stories on a variety of topics and tracked the food packaging industry. A journalist with an editing background at news services and newspapers, she also has driven editorial projects in health care and higher education.