PepsiCo has just announced that they will begin using more sustainable packaging for their water brands as soon as 2020.

Starting next year, the company's LIFEWTR product will be bottled in containers made of 100% rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate), while their Aquafina and Bubly sparkling water brands will soon be sold in aluminum cans in US food service outlets.

The changes are expected to eliminate more than 8,000 metric tons of virgin plastic and approximately 11,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the company's pursuit of contributing towards a more circular and sustainable economy.

According to data from a 2017 EPA report, aluminum cans are successfully recycled by consumers almost twice as often as plastic bottles. Furthermore, metal cans are typically made out of 70% recycled materials while plastic bottles only use about 3%.

This latest initiative reinforces and advances PepsiCo's goals of making 100% of its packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable and use 25% recycled plastic content in all its plastic packaging before 2025.

PepsiCo is reportedly one of the largest users of food-grade recycled PET in the world, and the company is also working to help reliably increase the supply needed to meet its packaging goals in tandem with current suppliers and partners like The Recycling Partnership, Loop Industries, Alliance to End Plastic Waste, and the World Economic Forum's Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP).

"We are really excited to evolve our packaging across PepsiCo's water portfolio to make a positive impact," says Stacy Taffet, Vice President Water portfolio for PepsiCo. "We created LIFEWTR to be an inspirational and purpose-driven brand, and we're expanding that vision by using recycled packaging to deliver our premium water. At the same time, Bubly, our sparkling water brand that is full of flavor and personality, has already shaken up the sparkling water category and will continue to do so with this bold move."

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