May 19 2014
In Western Canada, the large blue-tinted bottles used for water coolers have been turning green and the initiative has been recognized with a DuPont Awards for packaging innovation.
Ice River Springs has been recognized with a DuPont Awards for packaging innovation for the launch of the green 100% recycled and recyclable water cooler bottle. (PRNewsFoto/Ice River Springs)
The DuPont Awards, a world-leading packaging competition, recognizes and honors packaging excellence. The Ice River Springs green bottle won in the Responsible Packaging category. "It is a great winner because of its attention to environmental implications, its investment in great technology, and its good use of recycled material," stated Anthony Wong, one of the judges. "We were really impressed."
Ice River Springs introduced the green bottle in 2014 under the rallying cry of "Nothing. It's worth fighting for." Ice River is the only beverage company in North America that sorts and processes PET packaging into food-grade plastic to make 100% recycled bottles. They found there was plenty of demand for clear recycled PET but the green plastic was often finding its way into landfill.
"There is enough plastic in the world today, we just need to find ways to reuse it," stated Jamie Gott, President of Ice River Springs. "By launching the green bottle, we could recycle green bottles in a never-ending loop, reducing waste and minimizing our environmental impact."
In addition to being more environmentally friendly, the green 4 gallon water cooler bottles have many benefits for consumers and retailers. They are easier to handle and can be collapsed and collected through municipal recycling programs to become new bottles, fresh every time and they are BPA free.
Consumers and retailers find the benefits appealing and since launch, sales have surged significantly. Ice River Springs has plans to introduce the green bottle elsewhere in Canada and the US.
Ice River Springs is a family owned water bottling company based in Shelburne, Ontario that began operations in 1995. It has grown to be one of the largest bottlers of water in North America with ten bottling plants. It runs a plastic recycling operation enabling it to produce 100% recycled PET bottles in a closed loop system.