Irish drinks company to use 100 per cent recycled plastic in bottles

The drinks company Deep RiverRock has announced that plastic bottles it uses for its range will be 100 per cent recycled plastic from next month.

The move sees Deep RiverRock become the first major water brand distributing across the island of Ireland to produce a bottle entirely made of recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate). As a consequence, over the next three years it will reduce by 500 tonnes the amount of "virgin plastic" it uses.

"As all Deep RiverRock bottles are already 100 per cent recyclable, this new development truly supports the brand's commitment to protecting the environment", and to reduce single-use plastic and the impact of plastic bottles persisting in the environment, said Matthieu Seguin, general manager of its parent company Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The initiative would be extended to its Coca-Cola range, he confirmed, while the amount of PET plastic is to be further reduced by lightening its bottles.

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Deep RiverRock’s investment in recycled PET supports the principles of a circular economy by keeping resources in use for as long as possible, he said.

“Recycled PET bottles are also one of the lowest carbon-dense packaging types to produce within the beverage sector,” Mr Seguin added. “When recycled correctly, PET bottles can, and should, have a longer life span and Deep RiverRock is committed to encouraging consumers to recycle all PET bottles.”

Minister for Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton has welcomed the move. "We've a long road to travel to better manage how we use and dispose of plastic more sustainably. Today's announcement by Deep RiverRock, will remove over 500 tonnes of virgin plastic from our waste streams and I welcome such industry leadership in pioneering parts of this journey."

There were opportunities throughout the supply chain for entrepreneurs to make an impact “and we need to create a framework to ensure that these opportunities can be seized”, he added. “That will be one of my priorities as part of our all of government plan [to tackle climate disruption] which will be published in the coming weeks.”

The announcement from Deep RiverRock is part of Coca-Cola HBC’s commitment “to create a world without waste”, Mr Seguin said. It sets out “a vision to design more sustainable packaging, to collect and recycle the equivalent of every can or bottle we sell by 2030, and to partner with NGOs, customers and stakeholders to help clean up the Planet”.

A global target was to have 50 per cent recycled plastic by then, but its Irish operations would be 11 years ahead which, he said, was a source of great pride.

The company had invested €3 million in supporting recycling in recent years, while the building of a new plant in Lisburn has enabled it to use 100 per cent recycled bottles, the first of which was delivered last Friday.

Asked about the persistence of bottles in the environment, he said, they would share the concerns of consumers. As a consequence, they strove to improve design, collect and recycle bottles and forge partnerships with NGOs, stakeholders and customers.