Dubai: Al Ain Water, the top water brand in the UAE, debuted a new water container made of recycled polyethene terephthalate at Gulfood. This brand-new 100 percent rPET bottle is the first of its kind to be made in the UAE.
PET is a highly recyclable plastic material, and when recycled it becomes rPET, a strong, durable and infinitely recyclable material that is commonly used for packaged foods and drinks. Once reprocessed, rPET can be used to make new plastic bottles or other items. It supports the recycling industry, saves energy, and resources, and diverts these plastics from landfills. According to Global Standards, rPET generates 75 percent fewer CO2 emissions and requires less energy compared to virgin material production and has a better overall ecological balance than glass and single-use aluminium cans.
Mr. Alan Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Agthia Group, remarked, “Plastic is a significant resource if repurposed and reused appropriately. We have been in active conversations with the UAE government and other stakeholders to develop a system for the 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 a 100 percent rPET bottle to the market and is actively supporting UAE’s transition towards a circular economy.”
Al Ain Water has a growing range of sustainably packaged water bottles including the Middle East’s first 100 percent plant-based water bottle that is completely biodegradable and compostable within 80 days. Since its launch in 2020, demand for Al Ain’s Plant Bottle has risen 75 percent year-on-year among its business customers, particularly in the hospitality and F&B sectors, which shows huge demand in the UAE for products with superior sustainability credentials.
The launch of Al Ain Water’s 100 percent rPET bottle builds on an MOU signed between Agthia Group, Veolia Middle East subsidiary Repeet and environmental management group Bee’ah. The MOU accelerates PET collection, recycling and rPET manufacturing, in line with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s (MoIAT) recent ministerial decree regulating the manufacturing and trade of recycled plastic water bottles.