Bottle Applications
Bottle Applications Primo Water offer Mineral Enriched Water in PLA bottles Primo Water Corporation, a privately-held company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA manufactures mineral enriched bottled water. According to a recently published press release Primo is the only nationally distributed bottled water whose bottle is made from plants, not crude oil. Primo Water offers a sustainable bottled water option without having to give up portability, convenience and great refreshing taste. The bottle is made from Ingeo TM , NatureWorks’ PLA resin that is a 100% renewable resource “grown on American soil”, as the company proudly stated. “Primo Water, with its plant based bottle, is leading the movement for sustainable green packaging, especially in bottled water. The fact that Primo is recyclable and compostable was a big plus to our event. We were very pleased to find them,” said Jim Flint, president of the Rattlesnake Triathlon (www.rattlesnaketri.com). Consumers will not only enjoy Primo for its environmental benefits, but also for its great taste. In blind taste tests conducted at the end of 2007 across the U.S., three out of four consumers preferred Primo over the leading spring water and four out of five preferred Primo over tap water 1 . In fact, Primo water was enjoyed at the MusiCares ® Person of the Year event, on the red carpet and in the green room of the first ‘green’ GRAMMY awards ceremony held in Los Angeles on February 10th. “We‘re proud to bring consumers a more environmentally-friendly bottled water,“ said Billy Prim, CEO of Primo Water Corporation. “Not only does Primo give consumers the great taste, convenience, everyday price value and availability that they‘ve been looking for in a bottled water, it also helps them to leave a better world for their children.“ “With Primo, consumers have told us they feel good twice; once for promoting their own health by drinking more water and avoiding sugar, and twice, for helping to preserve the precious and depleting resources of our planet,“ said Dave Burke, President and COO of Primo To Go. Today, three product lines make up Primo Water Corporation’s portfolio. The first, introduced in June of 2005, offers 3 and 5 gallon Zero Waste bottles and an exchange program that rewards consumers for recycling their bottles for refills. The second, launched in April of 2008, is a new line of Energy Star rated and stylish water coolers. And the third is a single-serve bottled water, in a more-environmentally-friendly bottle made from PLA. Primo is available at nearly 4,000 retail stores across the USA. 1 Taste tests conducted by an independent contractor, Marketing Connections, in Charlotte, Tampa, Boston, Dallas, Columbus and Los Angeles between September and December 2007 www.primowater.com. Watch a series of YouTube clips at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/200805 20 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/08] Vol. 3
Bottle Applications Bio-Bottle Meets Private Label Water Two complementing niches in a fast growing market Bottled water is one of the fastest growing markets of the 21st century. In Germany alone, 11 billion liters of spring-, mineral-, and table waters are sold annually, which includes domestic, as well as imported waters. Plastic bottles made from PET had a huge breakthrough in this market a decade ago and is now the most popular way of enjoying this healthy and refreshing beverage for the modern and mobile consumers. The clear 500 ml water bottle has become THE accessory of the century. It is ‘cool’, to be seen with this handy item, celebrities even carry their bottles on the catwalks of this world. This trend seems to be unbreakable and especially young people carry their small and practical mobile water tanks on the go. Still water in particular is the fastest growing segment here. In the USA, water consumption in plastic bottles will surpass CSD (carbonated soft drinks) and coffee soon as the most consumed beverage. In the past years, a new niche market within the bottled water market was established in the USA, which is called private label water. The current market share is 12.5% with an annual growth rate of 0.9% regarding to BEVERAGE DIGEST. For US-companies it is normal to use their ‘own spring water’ with their own label and message, on events or even in schools, the water bottle is being used as a fresh marketing tool, even for charities. This is possible due to the small operators which have specialised in producing personalized bottled water in small numbers. The German market for personalized bottled water is just starting out and a handful of players sold 10 million bottles in 2007. Article contributed by Manfred Burkart, Managing Director, happYwater, Berlin, Germany happYwater ® was founded on Christmas eve of 2007 and started out with the traditional 500 ml PET bottle, serving companies like BMW, on golfing tournaments, sailing cups and polo events, as well as large catering companies and also small charities. 22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/08] Vol. 3
