Contents
Many people, fearing for the condition of our planet, give up purchasing spring water in plastic bottles and opt for much more expensive glass packaging. However, more and more brands decide to introduce solutions that meet the strict European Union standards regarding both the composition of the water itself and the bottle.
Greater awareness = safer water and bottle compositions
In recent years, the word “microplastic” has been mentioned in all cases in the press, social media and also in scientific literature. Although it cannot be seen with the naked eye (sizes from 0,1 μm to 5 mm), it poses a huge threat to the ecosystems and climate on Earth. Its sources are mainly synthetic fabrics, city dust, tires, sea paints, personal care products, plastic shot and other types of packaging for food products. Wastewater treatment plants are not able to capture such fine particles, so they easily get into the seas and oceans. Microplastic has also been found in large quantities in soils and air. By eating fish, vegetables, fruit or meat, we become one of the links in a long food chain in which the microplastic cycle takes place.
The influence of synthetic particles on human health is still the subject of many scientific studies. Nevertheless, researchers found them in the intestine, lungs, spleen, liver and kidneys of people tested for them. However, we know much more about the impact of plastic on the environment. It degrades in soil and water over many hundreds of years, causes the painful death of many animal species (tiny plastic particles may be mistaken for marine plankton by fish), causes forest and other green areas fires, and causes the number of plastic garbage dumps. around the world (in billions of tons) is growing rapidly.
Meeting the needs of consumers and bearing in mind the good of Mother Earth, some brands of spring waters (eg Żywiec Zdrój) sold in bottles, introduce an environmentally safe solution – rPET plastic.
rPET – an ecological solution for the good of the planet
Plastic is a material that is perfect for the food industry. It protects food very well and is extremely easy to transport and store. To make it safe for people and the planet, a special “plastic” EU directive (SUP – Single Use Plastics) was developed. Its aim is to abandon the old linear economy (make -use -dispose) in favor of a circular economy. It became possible thanks to the growing awareness of the use of secondary raw materials. In this way, they can be given a new lease of life while reducing the production of new packaging.
A prime example is the rPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottle. It is a durable and light material, and its biggest advantage is that it can be recycled. A good example of the implementation of this type of packaging is Żywiec Zdrój (3 100% rPET packages).
How is the safety of rPET bottles checked? In the European Union, the body that defines these standards is EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). Positive passage through restrictive restrictions guarantees safety in the consumption of spring water, even by infants and children. Before the product goes to store shelves, each batch of the so-called preforms (bottles before reaching their final size) are subjected to very detailed laboratory tests. They are made by modern and specialized equipment, and the materials undergo many durability tests, e.g. storage for 100 days at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius.
Experts estimate that in the coming years there will be more and more rPET bottles on the market. This is very optimistic information because recycling of plastics is an opportunity to significantly reduce the extraction of raw materials and carbon dioxide emissions. The introduction of the 1,5-liter rPET bottle saves 25%. (entire value chain) or 50% (the packaging itself) in the emission of this gas. In addition, rPET is durable, durable, easy to transport and allows you to maintain the highest quality of food products – beverages and food, which prevents wasting them.
Drinking spring water from rPET bottles is recommended for everyone, regardless of gender and age, and above all for pregnant and breastfeeding women, seniors and children, even babies. Bottled water has a safe composition (wealth of natural minerals), is not artificially treated and guarantees origin.