Page 28 - Plastics News March 2019

FEATURES

Refillable Plastic Bottles A Hit Inside And Outside The Library

Rick Lingle
Tritan, a specialty copolyester from Eastman (Kingsport, TN) that combines high glass-like clarity along
with being nearly unbreakable.

vast number of people embrace sustainable practices, very grateful to RPC for supporting our conference and
A which for me include using electric lawn mowers and supplying such brilliant bottles, enabling us to make this
multiple rain barrels seasonally and, on a daily basis, using valuable contribution to protecting our environment while
refillable water bottles at work and while driving. One is discussing such an important topic,” said Karina Rathman
made of glass and the other of plastic. of the United Nations Information Centre in Warsaw.The
400mL water bottles were manufactured using Tritan, a
A regular check of newsfeeds uncovered a particular
case study application story that piqued my interest not specialty copolyester from Eastman (Kingsport, TN) that
only because it involves reusable water bottles, but the combines high glass-like clarity along with being nearly
conference where they were used was located inside a unbreakable. The dishwasher-safe bottles retain remain
library—and my wife is a librarian. That seemed a novel glossy even after hundreds of wash cycles, making them
venue for refillable bottles that replace bottled water ideal as a long-term reusable solution for consumers
or drinking glasses typically offered to attendees of such wanting to drink while staying on the move.
things. Tritan is considered Eastman's flagship polymer and has
long been used for applications like water bottles due to its
And in another slight plot twist, it wasn’t a packaging
industry conference or a sustainably-minded topic that was inherent clarity, colorability, durability, ease of processing,
discussed, but rather a “Human Rights in Poland” event and heat and chemical resistance. Other markets range
hosted at the Warsaw University Library in October. It was from housewares, small appliances, medical packaging and
organized by the United Nations Information Centre with devices to dual-wall tumblers and other beverage ware.
While the use of refillable water bottles at a conference
seems rare, from a larger world view reusable bottles are
a popular and growing market for environmentally- and
cost-conscious consumers. Eastman’s Tritan expert weighs
in on the movement toward refillable water bottles.
BPA, the recession, sippers and chuggers spur
growth

According to Brad Moncla, Eastman’s Segment Market
Manager that refillable bottles made using Tritan first
surfaced in the United States in 2008 when concerns
over bisphenol-A (BPA) in plastics became more widely
understood. “Tritan allows bottle producers to make
products that are completely BPA-free,” Moncla says. “The
the student organizations ELSA Poland and AIESEC Poland recession that began that same year caused consumers
and offered speakers from the UN, the Polish Government, to rethink the expense and waste produced by drinking
non-government organizations, human rights activists bottled water. That is when Tritan-based sports bottles
and Polish celebrities. In addition to 350 participants, a began a double-digit growth rate that lasted well into
further 35,000 viewed the conference via a livestream on the current decade. The bottle packaging and details
Facebook where posts reached more than 265,000 people evolved over the years with consumer preferences. “While
that cumulatively formed a large audience.
the initial hydration products were mainly sports bottles
The 400 refillable plastic water bottles that were focused on hiking and backpacking, the products evolved
provided by RPC Group (HighamFerrers, England) were over time and were tailored to the specific needs and
also a useful takeaway keepsake for attendees. “We are preferences of consumers,” Moncla points out. “Lids were

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