“Pod” plus reusable container looks to replace single-use bottles for household cleaners

Nypro announced a four-company joint venture to produce a reusable bottle for multiple consumer products that promises to save 90% in plastics, oil and CO2 emissions. In making the announcement, Nypro said that the reusable bottling system is designed to "revolutionize" the way consumers purchase and use liquid-based products for household use or personal consumption.

Replenish Bottling Company Inc., Nypro, and Radius Product Development will all participate in the joint venture to provide reusable plastic-bottle manufacturing solutions to companies needing containers for their liquid consumer products. Virtually all major consumer companies today are looking for container solutions that reduce their impact on the environment without compromising quality of the user experience, or adversely impacting prices. Eastman Chemical Co. also plays a key role by supplying specialty materials to the joint venture.

The patented system involves the use of a "pod" of concentrated product, such as a liquid household cleaning solution, attached to an all-plastic durable bottle that houses an integrated measuring cup. The bottle can be refilled many times with tap water in the home giving the user the equivalent of four full bottles of household product per pod and multiple re-uses of the durable bottle.

According to Nypro, this eliminates the cost of processing, handling, storage and transportation of 93% of all the water that goes into the vast majority of household liquid products, reduces freight by 16-20 times over the standard 1-time use bottles and is economically efficient for retailers and consumers. After the initial purchase of the durable bottle, the continuous sale is on the pod, which reduces the plastic content going to the landfills by 90%. Completing the ecological benefit, the pods and bottles are made from specialty resins developed and distributed by Eastman.

"Nypro Packaging is firmly committed to continuing to bring no-compromise sustainable packaging solutions to our brand customers," said Paul Kayser, group president Nypro Packaging. "Game-changing solutions like Replenish Bottling Systems show how to leverage our integrated service offering, which includes Radius Product Development and Nypro's global manufacturing capabilities, to make significant shifts in how consumer products are brought to market, consumed, recycled and/or reused with great partners like Replenish and Eastman."

Jason Foster, president of Replenish Bottling Co., said, "We expect many of the biggest consumer brands in the world will want to be part of this new sustainable packaging paradigm. We all know the majority of the liquid products we buy are mostly water so shipping all of that water around the country and lugging it home in bottles is really pretty silly. Innovative thinking combined with great design really does make a difference to the consumer."

A new packaging paradigm

Replenish's Foster believes he can "change the conversation" about plastics. Instead of thinking 'disposable' or 'recyclable' or even 'sustainable', Foster believes that through innovative package design, plastics can be used more efficiently. "It's not even about plastic materials," Foster told PlasticsToday. "Materials don't solve the issue of the bulk, weight and mass of the PET containers that we use. Even using recycled materials in packaging doesn't rid us of bulk, weight and mass, and that's the enemy."

Innovative thinking is key to reducing the amount of plastics used in packaging that provides greater functionality and utility. "It's not just about taking an old design and making it less bad. It's about redesigning and creating a new package with a new benefit," Foster said. "We'll certainly take advantage of new materials, but it's the design we want people to start thinking about."

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