A better alternative to bottled water
Cutting plastic waste. Lowering emissions. Moving away from single-use packaging. Making recycling easier. If any of those are on your list, that’s what anew was made for.
The carbon footprint
We wanted proper numbers behind what we were doing, so we commissioned a full cradle-to-grave lifecycle assessment covering every part of the anew supply chain.
We expected our plant-based materials to do well against traditional bottles. The results were better than we’d hoped.
anew has the lowest carbon footprint of any bottled water format independently assessed.
The table below shows emissions per 750ml of water delivered to someone. Reusable bottles are measured across their expected number of uses, so a bottle refilled for a year is compared fairly with one used once. Every format is modelled over 365 uses.
Emissions per 750ml of water delivered, over 365 uses
| Format | Life | kg CO2e | vs anew |
|---|---|---|---|
| anew bottle | Reusable | 2.00 × 10⁻⁴ | baseline |
| Recycled PET | Reusable | 7.07 × 10⁻⁴ | 3.5× |
| PET | Reusable | 9.93 × 10⁻⁴ | 5.0× |
| Glass | Reusable | 1.58 × 10⁻³ | 7.9× |
| Aluminium | Reusable | 3.32 × 10⁻³ | 16.6× |
| Stainless steel | Reusable | 9.03 × 10⁻³ | 45.1× |
| Tetra Pak | Single use | 5.68 × 10⁻² | 284× |
| Recycled PET | Single use | 8.24 × 10⁻² | 412× |
| PET | Single use | 1.16 × 10⁻¹ | 578× |
| Glass | Single use | 4.52 × 10⁻¹ | 2,257× |
Source: comparative cradle-to-grave carbon footprint conducted by Edge Impact, commissioned by anew. Functional unit: delivery of 750ml of water to a New Zealand consumer. Every reusable format modelled over 365 uses. End of life reflects current New Zealand recycling rates. Figures rounded. Full summary available here (PDF).
Carbon negative to produce
anew is made from plant based feedstocks. While the plants grow, those plants take in more carbon than the manufacturing process puts back out. Making one anew bottle and cap remove CO2 from the atmosphere each time one is produced
For comparison:
Carbon to make one bottle, before any recycling credit
| Format | kg CO2e | In grams |
|---|---|---|
| anew bottle | −1.93 × 10⁻² | −19g (removes carbon) |
| Recycled PET | 8.84 × 10⁻² | 88g |
| PET | 1.22 × 10⁻¹ | 122g |
| Glass | 5.02 × 10⁻¹ | 502g |
| Aluminium (125g bottle) | 2.71 | 2,710g |
Source: Edge Impact LCA, commissioned by anew. Production stage only, before recycling credits.
A 125g aluminium bottle takes 2.71kg of carbon to make — more than twenty times its own weight. An anew bottle has already taken carbon out of the air before it leaves the factory.
A note on stainless steel
Stainless steel is often seen as the sustainable choice, and it can be if it’s used for a long time. But it’s a heavy, energy-intensive metal to produce, so each bottle needs a lot of refills before that upfront carbon is paid back. In the LCA it was the highest-emitting reusable format: around 45 times anew per 750ml delivered.
Worth keeping in mind for branded gifts. Most of us have a cupboard full of bottles we meant to use.
What this means for events and venues
Events are one of the biggest sources of single-use plastic waste. Per 750ml delivered, single-use PET produces 578 times the emissions of anew. Single-use glass produces 2,257 times.
anew is light, doesn’t shatter, and carries a fraction of the carbon of glass or metal. When reporting on sustainability, the numbers are ready: carbon footprint per unit, bio-based certification and the full LCA.
For businesses with sustainability goals
- Reducing plastic waste — No oil-based plastic. Made from plants, recyclable in the standard #2 stream, and built to be reused for years.
- Lowering carbon emissions — Carbon-negative to produce. Single-use PET produces 578 times the emissions per 750ml. Verified by Edge Impact.
- Removing single-use packaging — One anew bottle can replace hundreds of single-use bottles over its life.
- Moving away from fossil fuels — Made from plants, not oil or gas.
- Improving recycling — Bottle and cap are the same material, so the whole thing goes into household recycling.
The independent reports
Every claim on this page has been independently tested. The full reports are here if you’d like to read them.
- Carbon footprint summary — Edge Impact LCA (PDF)
- 100% bio-based carbon — Beta Analytic, ASTM D6866 (PDF)
- Zero microplastics — EMSL Analytical (PDF)
- BPA & BPS free — SGS (PDF)
- PFAS-free, all 32 compounds — Watercare Laboratory Services (PDF)
There’s more on how the testing was done on our Zero Microplastics page.
Work with us
If you’re thinking about making the switch for your event, venue or business, get in touch. The data’s here when you need it.