Berry Global has formed a strategic partnership with Brookfield Drinks to introduce a groundbreaking spring water range, launching in a market-first bottle crafted entirely from Prevented Ocean Plastic (POP).
Each 500ml bottle of NEO WTR is made from discarded plastic collected from coastlines at risk of ocean pollution. Remarkably, every bottle prevents approximately 1.7 plastic bottles from entering the ocean, based on an average bottle weight of 20g. This figure derives from weighing activities conducted in July 2023 within the Prevented Ocean Plastic South East Asia supply chain, including various material grades, exclusive of caps and labels.
Moreover, both the label and cap are fully recyclable, contributing to a holistic circular packaging solution.
Working closely with Brookfield, a sales and marketing specialist in the beverage sector, Berry Global designed a custom bottle that optimizes filling efficiency while ensuring strong shelf presence and user convenience. The bottle showcases an embossed NEO WTR logo, maximizing branding visibility, complemented by an attention-grabbing wraparound label that emphasizes the bottle’s POP origins.
To expedite the process, Berry’s team quickly sourced the POP and provided initial bottle samples for Brookfield’s evaluation. Once the final design was approved, Berry promptly created the mold and produced a pallet of bottles for testing, ensuring swift project advancement.
“We are delighted to have worked with NEO WTR on this very important project,” commented Joe Horton, sales and marketing director at Berry Global. “The bottle is an excellent example of how a practical solution can quickly be developed to support NEO WTR’s sustainability objectives and tight commercial timings. It also demonstrates how businesses can achieve More Together in achieving their sustainability objectives.”
The high-quality POP, supplied by Bantam Materials, is an award-winning recycled plastic sourced from coastal regions prone to ocean plastic pollution. NEO WTR uses material from Indonesia, the world’s second-largest contributor to ocean plastic pollution.
This plastic complies with regulatory health and safety standards, is traceable back to its source, and features a distinctive triangular logo on the bottle for easy identification.
“We are very proud to be the first in the category to bring this type of bottle to market, which represents a massive advancement in packaging for soft drinks,” stated NEO WTR managing director Nigel McNally.
“Our 100% POP bottle, along with a recyclable cap and label, provides an environmentally positive solution that actively addresses the growing issue of ocean plastic. However, it was crucial that the bottle delivered a positive user experience as well. Berry Global’s contribution has been critical in achieving all our objectives, and the company successfully met our tight deadlines for an on-time launch.”
NEO WTR natural British spring water is sourced from Cheddar, Somerset, and is currently available in 1500 Tesco Superstores nationwide. Additionally, NEO WTR has been listed in 270 Sainsbury’s stores.
