Danone and Nestlé Waters, the world’s two largest bottled water companies, have joined forces with Origin Materials, a startup based in California, to form the NaturALL Bottle Alliance.
Together, the three partners aim to develop and launch, at commercial scale, a PET plastic bottle made from bio-based material, 100 percent sustainable and renewable resources.
“Our goal is to establish a circular economy for packaging by sourcing sustainable materials and creating a second life for all plastics,” said Frederic Jouin, Head of R&D for plastic materials at Danone. “We believe it’s possible to replace traditional fossil materials with bio-based packaging materials. By teaming up and bringing together our complementary expertise and resources, the Alliance can move faster in developing 100 percent renewable and recyclable PET plastic at commercial scale.”
The project uses biomass feedstocks, such as previously used cardboard and sawdust, so it does not divert resources or land from food production for human or animal consumption. The technology represents a scientific breakthrough for the sector, and the Alliance aims to make it available to the entire food and beverage industry.
Nestlé Waters and Danone have committed to sustainable business practices, notably by improving their environmental performances and promoting the development of a circular economy. A large part of these efforts has focused on developing innovative packaging solutions that are recyclable and made with renewable resources, as well as the promotion of recycling. After identifying the approach of Origin Materials separately, the two companies decided to team up to accelerate development of this technology.
“Current technology on the market makes it possible to have 30 percent bio-PET,” said John Bissell, Chief Executive Officer of Origin Materials. “Our breakthrough technology aims to reach 100 percent bio-based bottles at commercial scale.”
The NaturALL Bottle Alliance partners consider that everyone should benefit from this new material, so the technology will be accessible for the entire beverage industry.
“It’s incredible to think that, in the near future, the industry will be able to use a renewably sourced packaging material, which does not compete with food production and contributes to a better planet,” commented Klaus Hartwig, Head of R&D for Nestlé Waters.
