ALPLA and Vöslauer reduce carbon footprint with returnable PET
Reintroduction of the returnable PET bottle to the Austrian market
Hard, 2 May 2022 – The ALPLA Group, the global packaging solutions and recycling specialist, has developed a new returnable PET bottle together with Vöslauer, Austria’s leading company in the mineral water market. The sustainable bottle reduces carbon emissions by around 30 per cent and bottle weight by almost 90 per cent in comparison to the reusable alternative made of glass. The one-litre bottles are now available in stores.
Resource-conserving, light, stable and visually appealing – ALPLA has realised the first modern returnable PET bottle for the Austrian market together with Vöslauer. Following the 2018 introduction of a climate-friendly bottle made entirely of recycled PET, the two family-owned enterprises are now rolling out their next innovative solution – a one-litre returnable PET bottle. The bottle, which bears the Austrian Ecolabel, is made of fully recyclable PET monomaterial with a recyclate proportion of around 30 per cent. Going through at least twelve usage cycles, the bottles are estimated to remain in use for three to four years.
The bottle was unveiled on 20 April 2022 in the presence of Austria’s Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler and Alexander Egit, Managing Director of Greenpeace in Central and Eastern Europe. ‘The majority of Austrians want to see returnable containers on the supermarket shelves. PET is the environmentally sensible addition to our product range. As the market leader in the deposit segment, we are the first company in Austria to create a light and practical alternative,’ explain the two Vöslauer Managing Directors Birgit Aichinger and Herbert Schlossnikl. The new product replaces the previous one-litre two-way PET bottle with a deposit.
Light, stable, climate-friendly
‘People want to consume sustainably. Although returnable PET is the optimum packaging solution, there wasn’t a single product of this kind in the Austrian market until now. The returnable PET bottle developed together with Vöslauer illustrates how demand, a sense of responsibility, a hunger for innovation and technological expertise can reduce the carbon footprint,’ emphasises Rainer Widmar, Managing Director, Central and Eastern Europe, at ALPLA.
Weighing just 55 grams, the bottle developed by ALPLA is around 90 per cent lighter than the returnable glass alternative, reducing the carbon footprint by approximately 30 per cent. The low weight has a positive influence on production, shipment and storage of the containers. With the introduction of the returnable PET bottle, Vöslauer will make an annual saving of approximately 400 tonnes of material and 420 tonnes of CO2.
About the ALPLA Group
ALPLA is one of the leading companies involved in plastic packaging and recycling. Around 22,100 employees worldwide produce custom-made packaging systems, bottles, caps and moulded parts at 177 sites across 45 countries. The high-quality packaging is used in a wide range of areas, including for food and drinks, cosmetics and care products, household cleaning products, detergents and cleaning agents, pharmaceutical products, engine oils and lubricants.
ALPLA operates recycling plants for PET and HDPE in Austria, Germany, Poland, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Romania and Thailand. Other projects are being realised elsewhere around the world.
About Vöslauer Mineralwasser GmbH
Vöslauer Mineralwasser GmbH based in Bad Vöslau in Lower Austria is the clear number one in the Austrian mineral water market with a market share of over 40 per cent. Vöslauer sees sustainable and resource-conserving production as an important corporate responsibility. All of Vöslauer’s single-use PET bottles are already made entirely of rPET (recycled bottles) and the company has been carbon-neutral since the beginning of 2020. This means the company has itself reduced its carbon emissions by 50 per cent in comparison to 2005, while it offsets the other 50 per cent. In addition, it continues to expand its range of returnable products. Vöslauer is the first mineral water company to offer a 0.5-litre returnable glass bottle and, since April 2022, so far the first company in Austria to offer a returnable PET bottle.
Information for editorial
ALPLA, Erik Nielsen (Senior Communications Manager), tel.: +43 (0)5574 6021 701, email: erik.nielsen@alpla.com
Pzwei. Pressearbeit, Joshua Köb, tel.: +43 (0)5574 44715 22, email: joshua.koeb@pzwei.at