Suntory has launched its prototype PET bottle made from 100 per cent plant-based materials. The new bottle will initially be used for the Orangina brand in Europe, and the company’s best-selling mineral water Suntory Tennensui in Japan.
The debut has marked a decade-long partnership of Suntory with the US-based sustainable technology company Anellotech.
According to Suntory, the PET bottle is made by Anellotech’s new technology. PET is a combination of two materials including 70 per cent terephthalic acid (PTA), which is converted from a plant-based paraxylene derived from wood chips and 30 per cent mono ethylene glycol (MEG) sourced from molasses that has been used in the Suntory Tennensui brand in Japan since 2013.
“We’re delighted with this achievement, as it brings us one step closer to delivering this sustainable PET bottle to the hands of our consumers,” said Tsunehiko Yokoi, executive officer of Suntory Monozukuri Expert Ltd.
“The significance of this technology is that the PTA is produced from non-food biomass to avoid competition with the food chain, while MEG is also derived from non-food grade feedstock.”
Suntory’s move follows US beverage giant Coca-Cola’s move to introduce a 100-per-cent plant-based bottle, which we reported in late October.
The Japanese company’s recyclable prototype plant-based bottle is believed to have lower carbon emissions than the virgin one. This development also strengthens Suntory’s commitment to sustainability practices and assists the company to reach the aim of transitioning to 100-per-cent recycled or plant-based PET bottles by 2030.
“Suntory has been entrenched in the work to create sustainable packaging solutions since 1997,” said Tomomi Fukumoto, COO of sustainability management at Suntory Holdings.
“This plant-based bottle prototype honours our historic dedication while shining a light, not only on our path to achieving our 2030 fully sustainable PET bottle goal but also towards our ambition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain by 2050.”
