Britvic-owned Irish water brand, Ballygowan Mineral Water, is moving to 100% recycled plastic bottles after the company invested €2m in operations at Ballygowan’s Newcastle West source in Limerick.
The move is a significant part of Britvic’s Healthier People, Healthier Planet sustainability strategy, which will see all GB-made bottles including Robinsons, Fruit Shoot and Tango also switch to 100% rPET by the end of 2022.
The change sets Ballygowan on its way to becoming Ireland’s most sustainable water brand and will see the removal of 51 million virgin PET bottles from the economy, the equivalent of 1,288 tonnes of plastic. Later this year, Ballygowan will remove a further 245 tonnes of plastic through packaging redesign. When recycled correctly, these new 100% rPET bottles can be reused continuously, becoming a key contributor to the circular economy, and resulting in a positive impact on the planet.
Kevin Donnelly, Managing Director at Britvic Ireland, said: “By its nature, Ballygowan has always been attuned to the importance of our environment. The purity of our water depends on a natural filtration that is embedded in the earth. By investing in a fully recycled bottling system, we are taking a major step to reduce our impact on the planet. This is the latest innovation in a journey which has already seen a reduction of over 90% in our manufacturing emissions for Ballygowan.”
Sian Young, Head of People and Planet for Britvic Ireland, said: “At Britvic we are on the path to a more sustainable future and are excited to take this next step on the journey with our consumers by offering 100% recycled Ballygowan bottles and asking they recycle them after use. A small change that delivers big impact while also enjoying what I believe is one of Ireland’s best natural assets - locally sourced natural mineral water.”
Ballygowan’s move is the latest brand to make the switch, following Fruit Shoot Hydro’s move to rPET bottles in September 2020. Britvic is committed to helping create a more sustainable future and believes that packaging should never become waste. In 2019, Britvic provided a £5m investment support package to Esterform Packaging Ltd, allowing them to build an rPET manufacturing facility in North Yorkshire. This long-term supply of rPET will be crucial to Britvic delivering its 2022 goal.
