Evian aims for 100% recycled plastic bottles by 2025

French bottled water company Evian is the latest in a long line of brands to signal its intention to steer away from plastic waste, after announcing plans to produce bottles made from 100% recycled plastic by 2025.


Evian, which is owned by French food and drinks firm Danone, has unveiled a new goal to become a 100% circular brand by 2025. Not only does this goal entail producing bottles from 100% recycled plastic, but it also seeks to work with the waste management sector to deliver a zero plastic bottle waste ambition.

“Evian will drive a step-change to address the critical issue of plastic,” the company’s global brand director Patricia Oliva said. “We want to use the power of our global brand to take a leadership position, drive collaboration across the industry and, together with partners, transform our approach to plastic. We’re committed to move the mindset of today’s generation from ‘we can’ to ‘we do’.”

Currently, Evian ensures that its bottles are 100% recyclable and that they contain, on average, 25% recycled plastic. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Veolia and Loop Industries are just some of the companies the bottle producers will work with to realise the circular ambition.

The company will launch a social media campaign to drive awareness of closed-loop models for its consumers, supported by documentaries produced by VICE Impact. Evian will also join former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres on her Mission 2020 initiative, which aims to reduce global emissions by 2020.

Plastic wasting away

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation warns that there could be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050 and the UK Government and the European Union have since launched strategies to eliminate plastic waste by 2030 and 2042 respectively. Alongside policy pledges, the business community has been quick to outline its intentions.

This week alone, the likes of Iceland, McDonalds and Waitrose have either created or reaffirmed commitments to phasing out plastics waste. In the bottle industry progress is slower – albeit positive.

Evian’s owner Danone teamed up with the bottled water division of the Nestlé Group and a Californian start-up company to launch a new alliance aimed at commercialising 100% bio-based plastic bottles.

Asian beverage giant San Miguel Corporation has announced its intention to discontinue the plastic-bottled Purewater line. Coca-Cola, which increased plastic bottle production by one billion units last year – announced it supports testing a deposit return service for drinks cans and bottles.

Matt Mace

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