New launch of the PET returnable bottle in Austria
Austria’s market leader in the mineral water market, Vöslauer Mineralwasser GmbH, is concretising its plans to relaunch the first and so far only PET returnable container in Austria.
“In Austria, PET reusable containers were common until the 1990s, but they disappeared from the shelves completely due to a lack of demand. The change in consumer behaviour, but also the improved technological conditions in the meantime, make a new generation of PET returnable products possible that fit into today’s world and are an ecologically sensible addition to our product range,” explains Herbert Schlossnikl, Managing Director of Vöslauer. “To this end, we are investing around seven million euros in new plants, despite economically challenging times,” adds Birgit Aichinger, Managing Director of Vöslauer.
In the first quarter of 2022, Vöslauer will launch Austria’s first returnable PET bottle in the flavours sparkling, mild & plain, with more to follow in the future. The current 9×1 l rePET two-way deposit bottle will be completely replaced with the new solution. “A major advantage of the new returnable PET bottle is the reduction of the CO2 footprint by up to 30% compared to our existing deposit containers,” says Schlossnikl. The lightweight PET returnable bottle also comes with 90% less weight compared to the glass returnable bottle. “This is an unbeatable advantage in handling, logistics and for the end consumer,” emphasises Aichinger.
When it is launched on the market, the PET returnable bottle will have a recycled content of 30 %, which is to be continuously increased. The PET monomer material used is also 100 % recyclable and the labels are also made of 100 % recycled material.
“We aim for 12 cycles for our returnable PET bottles and thus also the Austrian Eco-label,” explains Schlossnikl. A bottle is thus expected to be in use for around three to four years and saves around 80% of material over this period. Calculated in tonnes, that is about 400 tonnes of material per year, which corresponds to a CO2 equivalent of 420 tonnes. The reusable crates manage at least 50 cycles.
