Britvic-owned Irish water brand, Ballygowan, has rolled out recycled PET (rPET) bottles across its full range of grocery products, following a €2 million investment in its operations at Newcastle West.
According to Ballygowan, the move to the new fully recycled bottles will reduce its virgin plastic consumption by 1,288 tonnes annually.
Shifting to lighter bottles will reduce plastic use by a further 245 tonnes, meaning that overall, there will be a reduction of 1,533 tonnes in the brand’s virgin plastic consumption each year.
Ballygowan also says that its facility at Newcastle West now operates on 95% renewable energy and 100% renewable electricity, and has achieved zero waste to landfill.
As part of Britvic Ireland’s wider commitment to reducing direct carbon emissions by 50% by 2025, Ballygowan says that it has reduced its direct carbon emissions by more than 90%.
Kevin Donnelly, managing director, Britvic Ireland, said: “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 under Britvic Ireland’s ‘Healthier People, Healthier Planet’ strategy.”
Ballygowan will also be launching a new brand identity, marking its first significant brand refresh ‘for many years’.
Last year, Britvic agreed its first sustainability-linked credit facility, allowing it to borrow up to £400 million over five years while linking the margin of the facility to its sustainability goals.
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