A report has found that a plant-based bottle of water made by New Zealand's circular packaging company Anew, is carbon negative to produce and that is without the use of carbon credits or offsetting.
For every Anew bottle and cap that is made, a net 0.0347kg of carbon is sequestered. This is possible because the plants that the bottles are made from soak up more carbon than the bottle's manufacturing creates, which makes the bottles carbon negative to produce and distribute.
A global sustainability consultancy undertook and in-depth carbon footprint analysis on the Anew bottle and its use phase, in alignment with the ISO standard 14067:2018. The report's alignment with the standard was then critically reviewed and conducted against ISO 14067 standard by consulting firm Lifecycles. All data regarding the bottle's emissions, leading up to and throughout its life cycle was collected and analyzed, and carbon emissions were calculated relating to the raw material, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, use and end of life processes. The resulting carbon footprint was then calculated at multiple stages of the bottle's life cycle.
Anew's founder and managing director Jayden Klinac says the fact that Anew's carbon negative footprint is achieved without the use of carbon credits is what really makes their technology unique.
"Unlike many companies that profess low emissions, we don't need to purchase carbon creates to make this calculation work. The report shows our bottles are carbon negative because the Recircle technology we use sequesters more carbon than our supply chain and manufacturing emissions create, it's simple really." he says.
Klinac sees the potential for Anew's Recircle technology to also impact the single-use packaging world.
"There is no need for companies to use oil-based plastics anymore, the technology exists so fossil fuels and carbon emissions are no longer needed for packaging," he says.
"We are also passionate about educating consumers to make more sustainable choices and habits, which starts with providing them with options to do so."
Anew is replacing the need for single-use plastics with its 100% plant-based, recyclable, reusable packaging material. Its distinctive pale blue bottles of water, currently available across New Zealand, show that packaging can be made without fossil fuels, high carbon emissions and single-use practices. The bottles are made from Anew's proprietary biopellet brand Recircle, which is 100% biobased and made from renewable plant-based feedstocks, which sequester carbon as they grow. This is used instead of using fossil fuel-based feedstock like most glass, aluminum and conventional plastics.
The report found that the bottle remains carbon negative into its use phase, and then gains a small footprint when used, mainly from energy associated with repeatedly washing it in the dishwasher. Another key aspect of the analysis compared the global warming potential (GWP) of Anew's bottle as a reusable item to other commonly reached-for bottle options.
The analysis found that after 365 uses, which includes the footprint associated with washing the bottle in a dishwasher every seven uses, the Anew bottle was the best performing water container option in relation to its carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of the Anew bottle is 253% better than the second-best option, a reusable container made of recycled PET, and 692% better than a reusable glass bottle.
The Anew bottle performs 4411% better than the most carbon producing reusable option: stainless steel. The report also compared Anew's carbon footprint with single use bottles. Anew performs 28270% better than paper-based cartons, the best single-use option in terms of its GWP, and 225598% better than the lowest ranking option: single-use glass.
Read the original Food Technology NZ article here: https://online.fliphtml5.com/jsdpq/lyzk/