ZenWTR repurposes ocean-bound plastic in fully recyclable water bottle
03 Aug 2020 --- ZenWTR has launched a fully post-consumer recycled PET (rPET) water bottle. The new eco-centric packaging uses 75 percent less energy than virgin plastic and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 71 percent, compared to virgin plastic, the beverage brand affirms. As each bottle is made from up to 5 percent “ocean-bound” plastic rescued from coastal environments, the company’s goal is to reduce marine pollution through a benchmarked reduction of 50 million metric pounds of plastic by 2025.
ZenWTR underscores the differentiation between “ocean-bound” and “ocean-recovered” plastic. Ocean-recovered plastic cannot be recycled anew into food-grade plastic due to sun exposure and salt degradation. However, ocean-bound plastic, as used in the ZenWTR bottles, is found near ocean coastlines or major waterways that feed into the ocean, in a country or region which lacks the necessary waste management infrastructure.
“We believe the most effective way to tackle marine plastic is to prevent it from reaching the ocean in the first place. By sourcing plastic bottles for recycling that are ocean-bound, we are preventing them from making it to the ocean where the likelihood of recovering them is very slim,” the company states.
To do so, ZenWTR collaborates with OceanCycle. The independent third-party organization ensures “end-to-end” traceability of the entire collection and recycling process for the company’s plastic supply sourced from at-risk regions in Asia.
OceanCycle audits the chain of custody of the start-up’s materials ensuring these certification standards are properly implemented:
Audit for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Audit for Global Recycling Standard (GRS) – meeting the GRS 4.0 Standard – Section B2.2 Social requirements/Child Labor.
Supplier/Distributor confirming all regulations in place including the EU REACH Regulation: the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals.
In consumers' hands
The water start-up aims to rescue up to 50 million pounds of ocean-bound plastic from global coastal environments by 2025.
Recycling can make a great difference on an individual consumer level, ZenWTR affirms. “Recycling just ten plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours. If everyone in the US recycled just one plastic bottle, those materials could make more than 54 million T-shirts or about 6.5 million fleece jackets.”
ZenWTR bottles have a recycling code of 1, which indicates the most frequently recycled type of plastic in the US. These emptied rPET bottles – including cap and label – can be picked up through most curbside recycling programs.
The vapor-distilled, ultra-purified and alkaline 9.6 pH water is now available in 16.9 oz, 23.7 oz, and 1 L bottles at Whole Foods, Safeway, Walmart and Albertsons.
ZenWTR reinvests 1 percent of its sales to cleaning up coastal environments through a network of trusted charity partners and organizations. “Our company has just launched in 2020 and we look forward to sharing information on where our charitable contributions are directed this year and in years to come.”
Edited by Anni Schleicher
