Beginning in April, PepsiCo's Aquafina brand bottled water will be
available nationwide in the new Eco-Fina Bottle, the lightest 0.5-L
bottle of any nationally distributed bottled water brand in the market,
according to PepsiCo. At a weight of just 10.9 g, the Eco-Fina Bottle
is made with 50% less plastic than the 0.5-L Aquafina bottles produced
in 2002, eliminating an estimated 75 million lb of plastic annually.
In
addition to light-weighting the 0.5-L bottle, Aquafina is driving
additional environmental benefits by producing the package right at
Aquafina purification centers where filling occurs and by eliminating
cardboard base pads from Eco-Fina Bottle 24-packs, which will
contribute to saving 20 million lb of corrugate by 2010, says PepsiCo.
“The Eco-Fina Bottle represents more than simply innovative packaging
design. It showcases our commitment to develop best-in-class products,
packages, and manufacturing processes while acting responsibly in
everything we do,” says Rick Gomez, chief marketing officer, hydration
brands at Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. “We're excited to answer
the call of our consumers by offering the same great-tasting, pure
water in a much lighter and more eco-friendly 100% recyclable bottle.”
The new Eco-Fina Bottle features an eye-catching “rippled web” design
that goes beyond aesthetics, ensuring its structural soundness and
functionality. New, contemporary shrink-wrap packaging graphics,
featuring the Eco-Fina Bottle logo, will further enhance the brand's
on-shelf presence.
“Consumer research confirms that we achieved our desired objective,
which was a ‘sustainable design trifecta' – a bottle that looks better,
functions better, and is better for the environment,” says Robert Le
Bras-Brown, vice president of packaging innovation and development at
PepsiCo. “The new design leverages structural engineering that allows
the Eco-Fina Bottle to support 50 times its weight in water while
offering consumers a contemporary, attractive package that meets their
needs.”
Related sustainability initiatives
PepsiCo reports that it continues to
explore newer ways to achieve optimal efficiency in the use of natural
resources in the development, manufacturing, packaging, and
distribution of all of its products. The company has committed to
lowering its environmental impact by reducing the use of water and
energy by 20% and the use of fuel by 25% by 2015.
In 2007, the company
conserved nearly 5 billion liters of water across its global operations
compared to 2006 through technological improvements in global
manufacturing operations and resource conservation programs. Last year,
PepsiCo took nearly 6 million kilograms of packaging per year out of
its system globally and reduced greenhouse emissions by 18,000 metric
tons annually by introducing a new 0.5-L bottle for Aquafina flavored
waters.
PepsiCo is listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index
and the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.
