Poland Spring Brand to Use 100% Recycled Plastic by 2022

Nestlé’s Poland Spring Brand 100 Percent Natural Spring Water announced that it has started transitioning its packaging to recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic (rPET) and plans to be the first major bottled water brand to reach 100 percent recycled plastic across its still water portfolio by 2022.

This month, the brand's 1-liter bottles will begin being made using 100 percent rPET. In April, the brand launched a premium offering, Poland Spring ORIGIN in 900-milileter bottles, which are also made entirely of recycled plastic.

"As a company, we've already put our stake in the ground when it comes to taking the 'single' out of 'single-use' plastic bottles," said Fernando Mercé, president and CEO of Nestlé Waters North America, in a statement. "As we begin to transform Poland Spring, our most iconic brand, to 100 percent recycled plastic packaging, we will begin to bring this commitment to life for our consumers in a tangible way. Bottles like these, which are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are 100 percent recyclable, are proof that a fully circular economy is within our reach."

This initiative comes just months after Poland Spring's parent company, Nestlé Waters North America, announced that it will achieve 25 percent recycled plastic across its U.S. domestic portfolio by 2021. The company plans to continue expanding its use of recycled materials in the coming years, further setting an ambition to reach 50 percent recycled plastic by 2025.

Poland Spring's current packaging, which is predominantly made using PET plastic, is already 100 percent recyclable, and the company views its push toward using more recycled materials to be the next phase in making its packaging more sustainable and addressing the issue of plastic waste. Using recycled plastic helps keep plastic out of landfills and oceans and reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to using virgin plastic.

However, as recycling rates in the United States still hover around 30 percent, Poland Spring said it recognizes that in order to fulfill its commitment to use recycled plastic in its packaging, it must also invest in initiatives that help plastic bottles get back in the recycling bin in the first place. That's why Poland Spring, along with its parent company, is collaborating with organizations like Closed Loop Fund to help increase recycling infrastructure. The brand is also expanding How2Recycle labels across all of its packaging, to remind consumers to empty the bottle, replace the cap and recycle when they're done.

"To achieve a circular economy, we, as brand owners, need to inspire people to think and act differently when it comes to plastic," said David Tulauskas, vice president and chief sustainability officer at Nestlé Waters North America, in a statement. "I cannot think of a more meaningful way to connect with our consumers than to bring to market a more sustainable bottle that they themselves helped to create simply by recycling."