Bedfordshire beverage business becomes first to use 100% prevented ocean plastic

A Bedfordshire beverage business has become the first in Europe to produce a 100% Prevented Ocean Plastic™ bottle to help stem the tide of plastic ending up in our seas and oceans.

NEO WTR, produced by Brookfield Drinks based in Sharnbrook, will be the only water drink available in the UK, which uses a fully recycled ocean-bound plastic bottle, with a recyclable cap and label.

NEO WTR managing director Nigel McNally said: “The pressure is mounting on soft drinks manufacturers to provide solutions to prevent a global disaster.

“We’ve worked incredibly hard to bring this extremely worthwhile product to market. NEO WTR is a first for the category and a massive advancement in packaging for soft drinks.

“Our 100% Prevented Ocean Plastic™ bottle, offers an environmentally positive option that actively tackles the growing problem of ocean plastic.”

Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) is plastic waste defined as at risk of ending up in the ocean and it is estimated to generate 80% of plastic marine litter.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has found that by 2050 our oceans could contain more plastic by weight than fish. It’s hoped that NEO WTR has developed a bottle that can help to significantly slow the damage caused to marine life by ocean plastic pollution.

With 80% of ocean plastic pollution entering via rivers and coastlines, each bottle of NEO WTR is said to stop the equivalent of 1.7 plastic bottles entering the ocean and is made using discarded plastic collected along coastlines at risk of pollution.

Nigel added, “I’m proud knowing that we are helping combat ocean-bound waste plastic in regions that do not have the infrastructure to manage it, whilst also supporting the collectors in these areas to earn a fair and reliable wage, whilst helping to build recycling infrastructure and good working conditions.

“Consumers deserve a solution which allows them a more sustainable option to purchase bottled water when they are out and about and can’t use a refillable bottle to stay hydrated.

“The bottle is already made of recycled plastic and can be fully recycled in the usual way, so not only is it protecting marine life but also reducing the amount of virgin plastic produced to package our soft drinks,” he said.

“This in turn lowers the carbon emissions related to the production process.”

The 500ml bottle of Somerset-sourced spring water will be available to buy from Tesco across the UK from the beginning of June.