Packaging

Odwalla First to Market with up to 100 Percent PlantBottle Packaging

Tuesday 05. April 2011 - Today, Odwalla Inc. announced that it has fulfilled its commitment to deliver a more sustainable bottle, and just in time to join Earth Month celebrations. In October 2010, Odwalla committed by 2011 to transition the brand's single-serve offering - which represents more than 80 percent of the company's total business - to a new and sustainable package made of up to 100 percent plant-based materials (minimum of 96 percent) while still maintaining its 100 percent recyclability in current recycling infrastructures.

The PlantBottle packaging now used by Odwalla consists of HDPE plastic made of up to 100 percent plant-based materials that are derived from sugarcane. The new, sustainable package, which is now on shelves, reduces the brand’s dependence on non-renewable resources for its packaging. Additionally, Odwalla has reduced the single-serve bottle’s size from 15.2 fluid ounces to 12 fluid ounces.
“The PlantBottle packaging represents a significant step in Odwalla’s ongoing sustainability efforts to protect our planet,” said Alison Lewis, President, Odwalla. “Since the brand’s inception in 1980, it has maintained a very simple vision: make great juice, do good things for the community, and build a business with a heart. Such a simple vision has proven to have a large impact, especially when supported by a guiding principle of respect – respect for our consumers who rely on us for nourishing beverages, and respect for our earth on which we rely for holistic nourishment.”
Odwalla recently completed the installation of five fuel cells operating on redirected bio-gas at its juice packaging plant in Dinuba, Calif., helping to cut the plant’s carbon footprint by an estimated 35 percent. Through its annual Plant a Tree program, over the last three years, Odwalla has donated $350,000 worth of trees to state parks across the country to support reforestation and planting initiatives. Less than 1 percent of by-products coming from Odwalla’s packaging plant in Dinuba goes into landfills: pulp, peels and cullage are used as livestock feed; plastic and cardboard are baled and recycled; and worn out equipment and other metals are sold as scrap. And, most of the fresh produce Odwalla uses is locally grown.
While delivering on its commitment to sustainable practices and bringing the PlantBottle package to market in early 2011, Odwalla and its parent company, The Coca-Cola Company, remain at the forefront of innovation and sustainable practices within the beverage industry.
Odwalla’s natural beverages are now available in PlantBottle packaging in the refrigerated section of natural food stores, select supermarkets and specialty outlets nationwide.