The No. 1 premium imported bottled water in the US, FIJI Water has come up with an aggressive timetable to make all plastic bottles from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) by 2025, with 20% rPET in bottles next year.
The owners of FIJI Water’s parent company, Stewart and Lynda Resnick, announced last month an unprecedented $750 million pledge to world-renowned science and engineering institute Caltech to fight climate change.
The company says the commitment is the largest ever for environmental sustainability research and the second-largest to a U.S. academic institution in history.
A portion of the research will focus on decomposable plastic, along with tackling issues of water, energy, food, and waste in a world confronting rapid climate change.
FIJI Water says it will further reach its sustainability goals through new packaging innovations and plastic reduction that advance the independent brand beyond pledges made by the largest global beverage companies.
As an alternative to single-use bottles, FIJI Water will introduce a new 2.5-gallon packaging option for the refrigerator or counter and a 5-gallon option designed to fit in a standard hot and cold water dispenser. Both options will utilize up to 76 percent less plastic—in the case of the 5-gallon option, an estimated equivalent of 38 fewer 500mL bottles.
It says prior innovations have also already removed a significant amount of the plastic in bottles since 2008.
FIJI Water says the brand’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond addressing plastics. It says working in partnership with Conservation International, FIJI Water conserved more than 40,000 acres in one of Fiji’s largest remaining unprotected indigenous rain forest, the Sovi Basin, preventing future logging and degradation of the area.
FIJI Water also partnered with local community members to plant 325,000 new trees across 2,800 acres and is working with the Fijian government on their efforts to develop recycling initiatives.
It also says overall, FIJI Water has invested more than $25 million in social and environmental philanthropy in Fiji.
