Nestlé Waters North America Inc. (Stamford, CT) is expanding its use of recycled content in its Arrowhead water brand for many of its most popular sized bottles by the end of 2016. This will increase Arrowhead's use of recycled content by 38% and will ensure that most of its bottle sizes contain up to 50% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET).

“Arrowhead has been part of California history for more than a century. We are continuously evolving our products to have the smallest environmental footprint possible. Thanks to California’s strong commitment to recycling, there is high quality rPET available enabling us to increase our use of recycled material,” said Tim Brown, CEO and President of Nestlé Waters North America, which operates the Arrowhead brand.

The announcement is an extension of the brand’s ongoing commiment to support recycling efforts in California. While most plastic bottles are made out of material called polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Arrowhead has focused on introducing bottles made from rPET and began using it in its ½-liter bottles three years ago.

“Using recycled content, plastic products and other materials are converted back into new bottles,” said Dave Thorpe, Supply Chain Director for Nestlé Waters’ Arrowhead brand. “In this ‘closed loop’ model, recycled packaging can be reused indefinitely and can help foster a circular economy that prioritizes sustainability.”

Arrowhead is partnering with Los Angeles-based CarbonLITE Industries LLC, one of the largest producers of food-grade, post-consumer recycled PET in the world, to provide the rPET material used in its bottles. The recycled materials are primarily collected in California.

”California’s recycling program leads the nation, recovering billions of plastic containers each year. By reusing these materials, Arrowhead will save 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide from production annually. That’s a significant reduction in greenhouse gases and a model for other packaging companies,” said Leon Farahnik founder and CEO of CarbonLITE.