TotalEnergies Corbion develops plant-based biodegradable bottle for mineral water provider

TotalEnergies Corbion has equipped UK mineral water provider Win Win Water with a plant-based and biodegradable bottle made from its Luminy Poly Lactic Acid (PLA).

Win Win Water’s bottles, including the label and lid, are made from plant-based material derived from sugarcane. The company’s eco-friendly packaging houses naturally alkaline electrolyte spring water, offering an alternative to conventional plastic bottles.

Derek Atkinson, sales vice-president at TotalEnergies Corbion, says: “More and more water companies are using PLA bottles, contributing to end plastic pollution due to the recyclable and compostable nature of Luminy PLA bioplastics.”

In a recent interview with Packaging Insights, Thomas Philipon, CEO at TotalEnergies Corbion, told us that the company’s brand has “a good value proposition at its ‘start of life’ as it is completely renewable, but it also has a different type of ‘end of life’ — it can be recycled as well as composted.”

Global effort

The toxin-free PLA is said to be sustainably sourced and can be decomposed within 90 days in commercial composting facilities. As of 2012, the UK had 271 permitted composting sites capable of handling PLA.

Win Win Water aims to reduce the environmental footprint of bottled water by ensuring that its bottles are durable enough for multiple reuses. The company also supports initiatives that remove ocean plastic and empower vulnerable communities.

Last year, Korean water producer Sansu developed an embossed label water bottle made of Luminy PLA in partnership with TotalEnergies Corbion. The partnership aimed to speed the adoption of recycled PLA as a feedstock in South Korea.