The new bottles have been launched as part of Ice River Springs’ initiatives to reduce energy use and recycle plastics in a closed loop system.
The firm is the only beverage company in North America to operate a bottle recycling operation that takes in bottles from municipal recycling programs, sorts, purifies and then produces certified food-grade plastic ready for reuse. This enables it to produce 100% recycled PET bottles.
The bottles are green because it enables Ice River to reclaim plastic from green bottles.
According to its consumer research, from 849 bottled water users 82% said a bottle made of 100% recycled material giving them a green tint would make the brand more appealing.
The product will be available in major retail chains starting in Western Canada under the Arrowhead brand name.
Jamie Gott, chief executive of Ice River Springs, said: “There’s enough plastic in the world today, we just need to find ways to reuse it. Few companies need the green plastic that we collect from our recycling operation. We have launched Arrowhead water in green bottles to make use of this plastic and take it out of landfills.”
Green PET bottles, which are BPA free, are an alternative to returnable polycarbonate bottles. BPA is an ingredient that has been banned in baby feeding bottles.
While the Arrowhead bottle is changing, the water itself is unchanged.
Its source is near High River, Alberta fed from rivers originating from the glaciers of Kananaskis country and the Rockies.
