Nestlé partners to develop biodegradable water bottle

Nestlé partners to develop biodegradable water bottle

January 15, 2019

Nestlé and Danimer Scientific, a developer and manufacturer of biodegradable plastic products, announced a global partnership to develop biodegradable bottles. Nestlé and Danimer Scientific said they will collaborate to design and manufacture bio-based resins for Nestlé’s water business using Danimer Scientific’s PHA polymer Nodax.

In 2018, the University of Georgia confirmed in a study that Nodax is an effective biodegradable alternative to petrochemical plastics. PepsiCo, an existing partner of Danimer, also may gain access to the resins developed under this collaboration, Danimer said.

“Researchers have shown that PHA biodegrades in a wide range of environments, including industrial and home compost, soil, fresh and sea water,” said Stephen Croskrey, CEO of Danimer Scientific. “As a material that is reliably biodegradable across both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, our Nodax PHA is an ideal fit to drive the creation of eco-friendly packaging for Nestlé’s products. Nodax PHA is suitable feedstock for industrial compost, home compost and anaerobic digester facilities as well as reuse through recycling. We look forward to supporting Nestlé in the years to come.”

In 2018, Nestlé announced its commitment to make 100 percent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. To achieve this goal, the company has already undertaken several initiatives, including the creation of the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences. This institute is dedicated to the discovery and development of functional, safe and environmentally friendly packaging solutions including functional paper and biodegradable materials.

“Strategic innovation partnerships play a key role for Nestlé as we make progress in improving the sustainability of our packaging,” said Stefan Palzer, chief technology officer for Nestlé. “In order to effectively address the plastic issue in various markets, we need a wide range of technological solutions, including new paper materials and biodegradable polymers which can also be recycled.”

Maurizio Patarnello, CEO of Nestlé Waters said a biodegradable bottle, which is also recyclable, can help improve the environmental impact of Nestle’s business in countries without collection and recycling systems.