PepsiCo goes ‘Beyond the Bottle’ with mobile-enabled hydration platform
Built to reflect how people drink water today, PepsiCo’s new hydration platform
is a connected ecosystem that responds to the rise in consumer preference for
water and low- and no-sugar drinks, as well as heightened focus on plastic’s
effect on the environment. Part of the beverage giant’s Beyond the
Bottle efforts, the
new system makes it easier for people to stay hydrated with low- to no-sugar
beverages, digitally track their water intake, and help meet the growing
consumer demand for more sustainable packaging.
Following PepsiCo’s recent acquisition of SodaStream, the platform is the
next step along the company’s Beyond the Bottle journey, which is pursuing ways
to deliver beverages without single-use plastic bottles. As the Beyond the
Bottle strategy evolves, consumers can expect to see more PepsiCo beverage
options delivered without single-use plastic bottles.
The hydration platform is made up of three components: a water dispenser, with a
variety of fruit flavor options; a companion smartphone app; and
a personalized QR code sticker for reusable bottles that allows consumers to be
recognized by the dispenser. Reflecting how people are increasingly utilizing
technology and apps to track and personalize every element of their day, the new
ecosystem also automatically tracks users’ water intake and allows users to set
their own daily hydration goals. Additionally, it tracks their environmental
impact with a unique count of plastic bottles saved with each pour and over
time, and saves unique preferences (such as favorite flavors and carbonation
levels) for future use.
“This new platform for hydration is an exciting step in the PepsiCo Beyond the
Bottle innovation pipeline,” said Scott Finlow, Chief Marketing Officer of
PepsiCo Foodservice. “We’ve addressed a number of trends we’re seeing
resonate with consumers, including the increasing concern for the environment;
preference for refillable bottles over single-use plastics; and finally, choice
and personalization whenever possible. Now, whether they’re at home, work or
on-the-go, we’ve given people a way to make healthier and more sustainable
choices throughout their day and achieve their personal hydration goals.”
Cleaning up beauty's ugly impacts
Join us at SB'24 San Diego as Victor Casale — co-founder of Pact Collective and co-founder and CEO of MOB Beauty — shares insights from ongoing collaborations with materials innovators to create fully compostable, refillable, plastic-free, and easier-to-recycle packaging alternatives for beauty and wellness products.
The hydration experience is completely customizable, offering a variety of great
tasting, zero-calorie flavor, carbonation and temperature options that can be
customized for every pour. Everyone can create their preferred drink and save
their favorites in the mobile app, available for iOS and Android
devices, for seamless future pours. Additionally, all water is nano-filtered to
guarantee clean water every time.
This year, PepsiCo says it will launch the platform at select workplaces,
universities and hospitality partners where there is the greatest desire for
access to still and carbonated water — and both sustainable and healthier drink
options — with additional locations to follow in the near future.
BillerudKorsnäs, ALPLA partner to pioneer paper bottles
Image credit: BillerudKorsnäs
Swedish paper packaging materials innovator
BillerudKorsnäs and
plastic packaging solutions provider ALPLA have formed
a joint venture in the Danish paper bottle company ecoXpac — which
specializes in designing, developing and implementing process solutions for
molded-fiber bottles. The company follows a strategy striving to introduce
fiber-based products in categories dominated by other materials, in order to
contribute to a more sustainable future.
With their shared ambition to drive sustainable packaging innovation, ALPLA and
BillerudKorsnäs say they will leverage the development by combining their
resources, competencies and strengths to support scaling ecoXpac in the
commercialization of a fully bio-based and recyclable paper bottle.
In June 2013, ecoXpac manufactured the first prototype of the fiber bottle based
on recycled paper. Since then, the project has evolved into a collaborative
project between some of the world's leading players in technology and barriers,
culminating in late 2016, when Carlsberg Group revealed a first physical
prototype
of its Green Fiber Bottle — the plan now is to continue the development to
launch and then scale production. BillerudKorsnäs says following generations
will be both fully bio-based and have biodegradable barriers, thereby fully
realizing both companies’ vision to enable consumers all over the world to live
more sustainably.
"I believe that with our shared and honest ambition to break new ground, ALPLA
and BillerudKorsnäs now make an important commitment to contribute to a more
sustainable future, says Petra Einarsson, CEO and President
BillerudKorsnäs. “The question is not ‘if,’ but rather ‘how soon’ this joint
venture will introduce a fully bio-based and recyclable paper bottle to the
market. When we do, it will enable a significant shift in consumer behavior
globally.”
The formation of the joint venture is subject to customary regulatory approvals
such as merger control clearances. It is expected that the transaction is
completed in Q3 2019.
When the transaction has been completed, BillerudKorsnäs and ALPLA will own
equal parts of ecoXpac, with a minority post held by the founder family.
BillerudKorsnäs is currently the majority owner and has been a shareholder in
the company since 2015. BillerudKorsnäs has been a driving force in the ongoing
development of a paper
bottle,
which was started by ecoXpac in 2010 and with Carlsberg Group since 2015.
“EcoXpac was founded with a strong vision for the future. Today, we are
privileged to have the best players in their fields sharing our vision,” says
Martin Grosen Petersen, CEO of ecoXpac. “It makes me proud of what we have
achieved so far. The vision has never felt closer to reality than today.”
Connected evian (re)new system delivers at-home water with effortless refills and a lot less plastic
Image credit: evian (re)new
Meanwhile, Danone-owned evian® natural mineral water recently unveiled
evian (re)new — an in-home water system that provides consumers with evian
water at home with a significant reduction in plastic packaging.
Reinventing the way evian is delivered to consumers, the collapsible 5L 'bubble'
surrounding the water incorporates next-generation design thinking, leveraging
the physics of materials: The thin 'bubble' of evian water is 100 percent
recyclable, and made of a 100 percent recycled plastic (rPET) skin that
contracts when the natural mineral water is consumed, taking on a new shape
after each use. The company says it uses 66 percent less plastic than a 1.5L
evianbottle1.
Patricia Oliva, evian Global Brand VP, said: "At evian, we owe everything to
nature and are committed to a healthy planet. This will only be achieved by new
ways of thinking and of doing business. And this is why we're challenging
ourselves to reinvent new ways to provide evian natural mineral water to
consumers. This unique bubble design represents a breakthrough in design
thinking which brings the purity of evian natural mineral water from the source
to the home in a more circular way."
The introduction of the in-home evian water appliance is the latest move in
evian’s journey to become a circular brand by
2025,
and will build on the brand's ambition to be carbon neutral by 2020. The system
follows the launch of the evian by Virgil Abloh SOMA®
bottle
earlier this year, a refillable glass bottle that makes a perfect on-the-go
accessory to use with evian (re)new.
“I've always been inspired by great design and how it can shape our lives, which
is why I'm excited to see evian pushing the boundaries with the design of this
disruptive new product that will transform the way we drink evian water at
home," says Abloh, evian’s Creative Advisor for Sustainable Innovation Design.
Through the connected appliance, consumers will also be able to reorder evian at
the touch of a button on the base of the appliance, which is connected to the
evian (re)new app. The app can track the amount of water consumed and notify
the user when a refill is needed — creating an effortless e-commerce offering.
evian (re)new will launch as part of an initial pilot in Paris and
London in May this year with 200 selected consumers*, who, along with
Abloh, will help evian test and learn ahead of wider product launches in the
future.
"We are inviting consumers to join a community of early adopters who will be an
extension of our innovation team, helping us to co-create this solution,” Oliva
added. “Together, we will fine-tune evian(re)new with a view to bringing a
scalable and circular solution to market."
1Compared, per litre of water, to a 1.5L evian bottle (3.33 x 1.5L evian
bottles)
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Apr 22, 2019 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST