UAE’s Al Ain Water Launches 100% Recyclable rPET Bottle
Al Ain Water, the UAE’s trusted water brand, launched a new water bottle made of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) at the recently concluded Gulfood 2023. The new 100% rPET bottle is the first to be locally produced by a UAE brand.
PET is a highly recyclable plastic material, and when recycled as rPET, it becomes a strong, durable, and infinitely recyclable material that is commonly used for packaged foods and beverages. After reprocessing, rPET can be used for a variety of new applications, including packaging. It saves energy and resources, diverting plastics back to factories from landfills.
rPET generates 75% less of CO2 emissions and requires less energy compared to virgin material production. It also has a better ecological balance than glass and single-use aluminum cans.
Agthia Group CEO Alan Smith says, “Plastic is a significant resource if repurposed and reused appropriately. After having active talks with the UAE government and other stakeholders to develop a system for collecting, recycling, and reuse of PET-based packaging, we are delighted that these efforts are bearing fruit, and today, Al Ain, Agthia’s flagship water brand, is pioneering this initiative by introducing 100% rPET bottles to the market and is actively supporting the UAE’s transition towards a circular economy.”
“Sustainability is increasingly influencing the purchase decision in the UAE. With growing awareness, consumers are looking for ways to reduce their environmental footprint and reach out to products that helps them achieve this. The fact that Al Ain is the first water brand in the UAE to fill this gap in the market is a true testament to market leadership. A universally essential commodity, such as bottled water, delivered in sustainable packaging, can have a major impact on reducing plastic waste in the UAE, contributing directly to the UAE’s efforts to reach Net Zero by 2050, particularly during the Year of Sustainability,” elaborates Smith.
An Agthia Group brand, Al Ain has a growing range of sustainability packaged water bottles, including the Middle East’s first 100% plant-based water bottle that is fully biodegradable and compostable.
“Since its launch in 2020, demand has risen by 75% year-on-year among our business customers, particularly in the F&B and hospitality sectors, showing a huge demand in the UAE for products with superior sustainability credentials,” adds Mubarak Al Mansoori, President Snacking Business & Government Relations for the Group.
A MoU signed between Agthia Group, Veolia Middle East’s subsidiary Repeet, and the environmental management group BEEAH, launching Al Ain’s 100% rPET bottles, accelerates PET collection, recycling, and rPET manufacturing in line with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s recent decree regulating the manufacturing and trade of recycled plastic water bottles.
