Cover Story (Photo:
Cover Story (Photo: Bottle up – facebook) Drink the water – keep the bottle Bottle up to launch in WHSmith stores across the UK (Photo: Bottle up – facebook) Joining the fight against the plastic tide, Dutch-based brand Bottle Up has launched in the UK with their pre-filled, reusable, BPA free, plant-based water bottles. The bottles will be sold in 438 WHSmith locations across the UK including train station and airport locations such as Manchester Piccadilly, Euston, Heathrow, Luton, Waterloo, and Victoria, as well as several hospitals. The brand, founded by three Amsterdam-based friends, aims to aid the widespread international single-use plastic crisis by stocking Bottle Up in popular destinations across Europe. Already a success in the Netherlands, Bottle Up is now set to make its mark in the UK. In the UK alone it has been reported that over 7.7 billion singleuse plastic water bottles are consumed every year, with such water bottles making up over half of the plastic waste in the Thames. Whilst steps are being taken for plastic reduction in homes, the Dutch based entrepreneurs want to take the fight one step further by actively encouraging, and giving people on the go and tourists the opportunity to buy inexpensive reusable bottles pre-filled with water for the duration of their stay to avoid grab-and-go culture. Taking on board the environmental implication of water bottle distribution (production and transportation of the demand for bottled water uses the equivalent of 160 million barrels of oil per year), the London bottle is made in England and filled with English spring water. The water is provided by Elmhurst spring in Staffordshire, and the sugar cane based bottles are made in Wolverhampton. 5 pence from every bottle sold is donated to a charity working to ensure everyone can enjoy clean water, decent toilets and safe hygiene. The first charity Bottle Up has worked with is Charity: Water. Having lived in Amsterdam’s city centre for most of their adult lives, owners Jasper, Bart and Andrew started Bottle Up after seeing the impact tourist waste had on increasingly popular local tourist hotspots. Andrew Eversden commented “After one use these bottles often end up in or next to waste bins or even worse, in the canals and rivers. The millions of people visiting Amsterdam every year, leave behind a trail of waste from single use water bottles.” Their solution to ending grab and go water culture is a carbon neutral, BPA-free bottle of spring water that can be refilled with tap water and used again and again. Collaborating with Braskem fulfilled the concept of Bottle Up. Using the I’m green TM polyethylene was the most sustainable solution compared to other conventional alternatives. This is in large part because of the fact that the raw material is sugarcane, a source of renewable carbon. For every kg of I’m green polyethylene used, around 5 kg of CO 2 is saved. “We are very happy that Bottle Up decided to use our I’m green polyethylene for their bottles and are contributing to develop a way to transition from a single use solution to a multi-use solution as well as significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the product. For us this means another step into the direction of Circular Economy by participating in initiatives that encourage conscious consumption, consumer awareness and responsibility through engagement,” said Marco Jansen, Circular Economy & Sustainability Leader for Braskem Europe & Asia. The LONDON bottles will be available in Blue and Red alongside the general WATER bottle design in Pink and Black in 30 London based WHSmith stores. The general WATER bottle design has been available in 408 UK based WHSmith stores since mid-July. Bottle Up is a global movement that started in London with reusable water bottles made of sugar cane and filled with English spring water. But Bottle Up could come to your city or country with the same local, sustainable solution. MT www.bottleup.com | #letsbottleup 16 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/20] Vol. 15
Bottles Sustainable primary plastic packaging (all photos: Gerresheimer) “By using biomaterials our customers contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, thereby protecting the environment and avoiding unnecessary waste,” said Niels Düring, Global Executive Vice President Plastic Packaging, a few years ago, when Gerresheimer launched BioPack for the first time at Pharmapack 2016. Consumers are placing great importance on ecofriendly plastic packaging products, specifically – and increasingly – on sustainable packaging solutions that can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. At Gerresheimer (Düsseldorf, Germany), a leading global partner to the pharma and healthcare industry, therefore, innovation and environmental protection go hand in hand. A pioneer in the quest for greater sustainability, Gerresheimer offers an extensive standard range of plastic packaging and devices customized solutions made from bio-PET, R-PET, and conventional PET plastics. With its high-quality packaging solutions made from glass and plastic, Gerresheimer serves all market segments of the international pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, also covering all aspects of beauty and hygiene. The company is conscious of its obligations to the circular economy and uses more and more recycled or renewable materials to make packaging for pharmaceuticals. BioPack – innovation and environmental protection go hand in hand Most pharma- and healthcare products are packaged in bottles and containers made from polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, as the material is lightweight, versatile, easily moulded, and shatterproof. Right from the outset, Gerresheimer’s BIO-PET containers are made from sustainable, renewable biomaterials such as sugarcane. First, the ethanol is extracted from the sugarcane plant, before being dried and dehydrated to transform it into green ethylene. This then goes to the polymerization plants, where it is converted into green polyethylene (PE) or PET. Under the name BioPack, Gerresheimer has launched a broad spectrum of plastic packaging for drugs and cosmetics made of biomaterial instead of conventional PE or PET. Innovation and environmental protection go hand in hand. Gerresheimer‘s Biopack can be used as a packaging for both liquid and solid pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. It has exactly the same characteristics as Gerresheimer’s classic PE and PET products, which makes it suitable as a material for the entire Gerresheimer portfolio of plastic containers. There is no need to change existing filling and packaging lines and does not require new investments. PET and R-PET – making new from old New packaging products can also be manufactured from used PET, also known as R-PET (i.e. recycled polyethylene terephthalate). Gerresheimer has offered its PET ranges with various blends of recycled post-industrial and postconsumer materials (PCR) for years now and can produce containers made from up to 100 % R-PET. Gerresheimer is conscious of its obligations to the circular economy and uses recycled materials to make plastic and glass packaging for pharmaceuticals. Stackable bottles – reducing CO 2 emissions during transport. Gerresheimer has developed a new, refillable plastic bottle made on behalf of a major customer. The bottle has straight edges like a cube, offering four sides. The result is impressive: a container that is exceptionally lightweight for this volume and can be stacked on top of one another in a simple and space-saving manner thanks to a recess in the bottom, which in turn reduces the CO 2 emissions during transport. MT www.gerresheimer.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/20] Vol. 15 17
