Highland Spring trials 100% rPET bottle

By Rachel Arthur

- Last updated on GMT

Highland Spring's new 'eco bottle'
Highland Spring's new 'eco bottle'

Related tags Bottled water Sustainability Plastic rPET Recycling

Natural source water brand Highland Spring is trialing a 100% rPET bottle in the UK, and will use the trial to gain insight into consumer perception of recycled plastics.

The bottle is made from 100% rPET although the label and cap is not. All parts of the bottle are recyclable.

In what the brand claims is a first for the UK bottled water category, the trial of the rPET bottle starts this month in select Tesco stores in Scotland; Sainsbury’s stores in England; and at the Fever-Tree Tennis Championships at Queen’s Club next week.   

The 100% rPET bottle will feature a burst of green color and ‘100% recycled plastic’ message on the label.

Highland Spring says the feedback will help measure the public’s perception of recycled plastics and will feed into category-wide strategies to help eliminate plastic waste.

Consumers are invited to answer a survey on the Highland Spring website, which asks why they chose the eco bottle; any differences they perceive; and whether their shopping habits have changed in light of recent news coverage about plastic.   

“Good quality plastic is hard to source, and there isn’t a great enough supply in the UK,” ​says the brand. “We want to help speed change. Our new trial bottle is the first water bottle in the UK to be made from 100% recycled plastic, known as rPET. Hopefully it proves something good can come from more and more people thinking mindfully about plastic.”

Highland Spring is the UK’s top plain bottled water brand, growing 20.2% in 2017, according to Zenith Global’s 2018 Bottled Water Report, putting it ahead of Evian which has also pledged to use 100% rPET​ for its bottles.

Across the Highland Spring Group, bottles currently use an average of 25% rPET with ambitions to increase this to at least 50% by 2022.

Related news

Show more