Nestlé launches first drinking water rPET bottle in Thailand

Nestlé has launched the first recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET) bottle in the drinking water market of Thailand.

Its “Mineré Eco-friendly rPET bottle” uses technology to process the plastic into a new bottle that meets international standards for hygiene and safety as mandated by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) using plastic resin certified by the US FDA.

The launch is succeeded by Nestlé’s collaboration with 7-Eleven and Global Chemical’s YOUTURN in its BOTTLE MADE FROM BOTTLES campaign in which 7-Eleven installs Mineré recycling drop-off points to collect used plastic bottles from public, YOUTURN manages the used plastic from end-to-end including cleaning, sorting, shredding and melting, and ENVICCO recycling plant produces the recycled plastic resin.

The BOTTLE MADE FROM BOTTLES campaign is built on the collaboration among Nestlé, 7-Eleven and GC YOUTURN on circular packaging.

The rPET water bottle promotes full packaging circularity. This will contribute to reducing energy use by 80%, greenhouse gas emissions by up to 24% compared to bottle made from virgin plastic and eliminating more than 1,200 tons of plastic waste, which is equivalent to the mass of approximately 7,000 whales.

Nestlé sets its goal of reducing the use of virgin plastics by one-third transitioning and all its packaging to 100% rPET plastic by 2025.

Mr. Pinsak Suraswadi, Director General of the Pollution Control Department, The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment stated that the department had developed an action plan for effective plastic waste management to ensure all types of plastic bottles are 100% recycled, instead of disposed of in landfills, by 2027.