How does Nalgene update its classic water bottle?
By making it from 50 percent recycled plastic.
The Nalgene Sustain line takes single-use plastic destined for landfills and uses it to make their new line of bottles, introduced in August. Nalgene says each Sustain bottle is made from the equivalent of eight single-use bottles.
It looks like the same classic 32-ounce water bottle that many hikers use: clear tinted plastic, wide mouth, and measurement markings on the outside.
But Nalgene isn’t the only outdoor manufacturer riding the recycling wave.
Long-distance hiker favorite Smartwater is moving toward making its bottles from 100 percent recycled plastic. The company, owned by Coca-Cola, is rolling out the changes worldwide.
LIFE WTR, another hiker favorite that is owned by Pepsi, says it will switch to 100 percent recycled plastic by the end of 2020.
Smartwater and LIFE WTR use a plastic called rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) that can be recycled infinitely. Nalgene uses Tritan Renew, a tough plastic made from 50 percent recycled content that also can be recycled infinitely.
The recycling process begins with PET, a common plastic used in water bottles. Recycled PET bottles are turned into rPET, saving plastic bottles from landfills and using less energy to make the recycled bottles than is needed to make virgin plastic bottles.
So the next time you replace your water bottle, think about where it’s been and where it will go. And always recycle it.
