Bursting the bubble: evian launches new home appliance in a bid to reduce plastic

17 Apr 2019 --- evian has unveiled its (re)new solution – an in-home water appliance that reportedly offers a significant reduction in plastic packaging through a combination of re-use and recycling. Consumers attach a thin 5-liter “bubble” of water to the appliance, which gradually contracts as the water is consumed. The “bubble” is completely comprised of recycled plastic (rPET) and is 100 percent recyclable. It uses 66 percent less plastic than a 1.5-liter evian bottle and can be recycled into new evian bottles or “bubbles,” the company report.

Consumers are increasingly aware of the amount of plastic waste they produce and are actively seeking reusable and at-home devices. The market is responding to this, evidenced by Pepsi’s US$3.2 billion acquisition of SodaStream last year, a home carbonation product that can replace the repetitive purchase of bottles of sparkling water. Terracycle has also recently launched Loop, a waste-free business model in which products are delivered directly to the consumer, returned and refilled in premium packaging.

“evian (re)new was born out of an ambition to reinvent the way we package and deliver our natural mineral water for consumers to enjoy at home, while minimizing our environmental impact. This latest innovation is part of our journey to be carbon neutral by 2020 and to become a circular brand by 2025,” Patricia Oliva, evian Global Brand VP, tells PackagingInsights.The “bubble” on the appliance is completely comprised of recycled plastic (rPET) and is 100 percent recyclable.

Many packaging experts would place the pervasiveness of “throwaway culture” at the heart of the waste problem. As a result, R&D teams are increasingly focused on plastic reduction and recyclability as key drivers in NPD. For evian, “the solution was developed by our R&D team with design thinking at its heart, focusing on consumer benefits to create a new in-home solution and pushing the limits of the physics of materials to provide consumers with evian, while using as little plastic as possible.”

According to data from the New Plastics Economy Initiative 2017 report, at least 20 percent of the 78 million tons of plastic produced annually is economically viable for use in reusable packaging models. Of this, 20 percent relates to household cleaning and personal care bottles. Other opportunities for reusable packaging stem from carrier bags and beverage bottles.  

How does it refill?
As the 5-liter “bubbles” become empty, consumers can order new evian water via a button on the base of the appliance, which is connected to the evian (re)new app. The app is able to track the amount of water consumed and notify the user when a refill is needed.

Then two 5-liter “bubbles” are delivered to the consumers home, which they are able to re-plug on top of the appliance base. Once the “bubble” is empty, either the e-commerce platform collects it from the consumer’s house to be recycled into new bottles, or it can be put in the recycling bin and go through the local recycling system. The resulting emissions from the transport and logistics have not been evaluated yet, as the scheme is in its infancy, the spokesperson notes.

The company will be launching the appliance in May with 200 “early adopters,” who, along with guest designer Virgil Abloh, will aid evian in testing the innovation. 

Abloh has worked with evian on a set of limited-edition bottles in its “One drop can make a Rainbow” range. The project marked the first for Abloh in his new role as evian’s Creative Advisor for Sustainable Innovation Design. The range includes a refillable glass water bottles and a limited edition 75cl bottle. 

Bottled water has become somewhat of a symbol of the debate around plastic use and waste. Although PET water bottles can in theory be easily recycled, many consumers are opting to quench their daily thirst on-the-go using alternative materials and reusable bottles.

There has been an increase in water packaged in aluminium and carton Tetra Pak packages, for example. This was evident at the recent Pro2pac show in London, March 17-20, which was held alongside the International Food & Drink Event (IFE). 

While more luxuriously positioned reusable models are also gaining traction in the market, evian’s own “One drop can make a Rainbow” range includes reusable models, while a “self-cleaning” bottle was launched by LARQ, a US health and wellness brand.

By Laxmi Haigh