Through the introduction of our new product, re:newal natural spring water, we plan to make a positive impact on our planet, the way bottled water is viewed and the way each of us views and protects our natural resources. By forming relationships with like-minded companies and organizations and by providing much needed education on alternative options to plastics used for bottles, we believe we can make this impact sooner rather than later.

We are well aware this will not be an easy task, but we look forward to joining with others who want to make this impact.

What is re:newal? 

re:newal natural spring water is our answer to a dilemma that has haunted us since we purchased our natural spring and bottling facility. To us, bottling pure natural spring water in a container made of petroleum seems counter intuitive. We setourselves to the task of discovering options that we can take to market in aresponsible manner that will benefit our environment. PLA, or polylactic acid, is our answer.

By joining our pure spring water with a bottle made from plants, we have found a wonderful solution to providing our customers wquench their thirst while being responsible citizens of our earth.

People in America drink a lot of bottled water. Those bottles are made from plastic, and not everybody recycles the plastic bottles after they’re finished with the water. Empty, plastic water bottles take up a lot of space in landfills. You can drastically cut down on the number of water bottles you contribute to your local landfill by purchasing reusable, eco-friendly bottles for your family to fill and reuse. Most of these bottles are produced in ways that are environmentally friendly, using environmentally friendly materials so that, after they’ve outlived their usefulness, they can be recycled or composted.

Another benefit of eco-friendly bottles is that most of them are not made with plastics that contain bisphenol A, or BPA. BPA has been proven to have negative effects on human health, from obesity to adverse neurological effects to different types of cancers. The manufacturers of eco-friendly bottles know that it defeats the purpose of making the world a cleaner and more beautiful place if people can’t be around long enough to enjoy it. This is why most of them have taken steps to make bottles made from plastics made with BPA or bottles made from stainless steel and other non-plastics.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

PLA, a corn-based bioplastic, is being implemented by one major bottler who expects to sell 2 billion of them in 2010. Biodegrading is a key component of PLA which will break down in as few as 45 days under the right conditions. Whereas 17 million barrels of oil are used each year to produce PET, PLA is made from 750 million pounds of corn, a completely renewable and sustainable resource. It can be frozen and thawed repeatedly and is approved by the FDA. It is also recyclable but must be handled separately due to its lower melting point which could cause damage to the equipment.

The National Association of PET Container Resources estimates that only 30% of plastic water bottles are recycled, leaving nearly 70% to wind up in landfills and dumps where they sit for centuries. The new eco-friendly bottles are an environmentally responsible choice from its production through its decomposition. They are made of 100% PLA, making them compostable without polluting or contaminating drinking water. Production of PLA requires 20% – 30% less energy and emits as much as 25% less carbon. It’s being used in a wide range of products, including film wraps and electronic components.

On its website, a municipal solid waste district lays out a biodegrading experiment for kids, using polystyrene packing peanuts and others made of plant starch which are put in separate jars containing water and a composting agent and checked daily for five days. At the end, the kids are asked why the polystyrene peanut does not degrade the same way the starch peanut does, and to speculate about what would happen if they buried one of each in the fall and dug them up in the spring. The answer, of course, is that the plant-based material will break down more completely because of its organic composition.

In 1999 the National Resources Defense Council released its findings from a study of 1,000 samples from more than 100 brands of bottled water.  Through four years of research the NRDC found that roughly 25% of them were actually tap water.  Consumer outrage prompted the FDA to adopt standards and guidelines to ensure not only the safety of the product, but also that what it says on the label is what’s inside.  Commercially popular terms such as spring water and mineral water are more clearly defined, and now most of what is sold is labeled as purified water.  Purification is done through reverse osmosis, distillation or filtration.

Reverse osmosis is used primarily to make seawater drinkable. Salt water is forced through a filter which blocks larger salt molecules from passing.  It can also remove contaminants such as viruses or bacteria.  However, many of the contaminants found in municipal water systems are too small to be trapped by the filter, and the water is also stripped of its alkaline materials, leaving it highly acidic which can be unhealthy to drink.  Distillation involves heating the water until it vaporizes, collecting the vaporized molecules and then cooling them.  Contaminants are not vaporized. It also strips bottled water of minerals and alkaline.

Filtration is the top method for water purification today and is in use by most U.S. municipal water systems.  Water flows through a filter made from carbon or carbon compounds.  The filter blocks some of the contaminants and absorbs others, breaking their bond to the water molecule and allowing only clean water to pass through.  Unlike reverse osmosis or distillation, filtration is the only bottled water purification system that allows it to retain healthy trace minerals.  It is the only method capable of removing chlorine and VOCs, Volatile Organic Compounds, the byproducts of synthetic chemicals used in things like herbicides and insecticides.

The findings prompted led to regulations on the use of the term.

The FDA defines true spring water as that which is “derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth.”  Other commercial terms for bottled water are mineral water and purified water.  Mineral water comes from naturally occurring source known to have a high concentration of minerals and other trace elements.  To be labeled as such, the FDA requires it to have at least 250 parts per million of dissolved minerals that occur naturally at its source, not added artificially.  Purified water is that which has been treated to remove bacteria and other contaminants.

Moisture from precipitation is absorbed into the ground and becomes trapped inside layers of soil and rock.  Over time, that water eventually works its way back above ground either by its own force or is removed mechanically. Centuries ago Carthusian monks drilled for water in Artois, a former province of France, hence the name, giving rise to the name “Artesian” wells. Artesian spring water is that which comes from below the ground. Non-Artesian wells, conversely, are elevated sources of groundwater that can seep out from between rocks or flow more forcefully from a naturally carved aqueduct, a common sight rocky wooded hiking trails.

Water is critical to our health and vitality.  Naturally occurring spring water is considered the ideal drinking water because of its healthy and life-sustaining levels of trace elements of essential minerals.  Unfortunately not all natural sources of water can be safe to drink, as they increasingly contain byproducts from herbicides, insecticides and other man-made chemical pollutants, called Volatile Organic Chemicals or VOCs.  Modern purification systems which remove the bad stuff such as bacteria, viruses and VOCs can also remove the good stuff, like healthy mineral trace elements, producing virtually tasteless water with high acidity that can damage teeth and bones.

Annual U.S. production of PET uses 70 million barrels of oil, or 200,000 every day.  Plastics account for at least 25% of all volume in dumps and take at least 100 years to even begin decomposing.   These petroleum-based plastics are harsh on the environment from beginning to end.  Corn-based PLA resin, however, uses 20%-30% less energy to produce than PET and not subject to soaring oil prices.  With the right composting conditions, it will begin to break down into its organic components in just 45 days, posing no risk to the environment.  One major bottler expects to sell 2 billion such bottles in 2010.

Bottled water is an $11 billion industry with worldwide consumption of 200 billion bottles annually. U.S. consumers are responsible for purchasing one-fourth of them.  Of those 50 billion bottles sold in the U.S., the National Association for PET Container Resources says only 30% of them are recycled, leaving the rest to choke landfills and dumps.  PLA is completely reusable and recyclable, but because it melts at a lower heat point than PET it must be recycled separately to avoid damaging the recycling equipment.

PLA resin is made by extracting corn starch which is converted to dextrose, a sugar, which is then fermented into lactic acid.  The lactic acid is formed into pellets which can be melted and molded.  It has the same weight and feel as traditional plastics and has been approved the FDA for food contact.  PLA can be frozen and thawed, and are safe up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit empty and higher temperatures when filled.  NatureWorks expects to use 750 million pounds of corn each year, which is .11% – just over one-tenth of one percent – of the total corn grown for grain in the U.S.

Eco friendly companies are broadly defined as businesses that purposefully use environmentally or ecologically friendly materials in their products and services, including recycled goods, renewable resources and biodegradable components.  Their products require less packaging and their processes release fewer emissions.   Retailers have noticed a halo effect for goods with green packaging.  When faced with a choice of similar products, consumers are more likely to make the socially responsible choice.  In fact, the packaging is often the only reason they consider the purchase at all.  Studies show that green companies also attract a more intelligent, committed and motivated pool of employees.

The cost benefits of being environmentally responsible aren’t always apparent, especially in the early phases of the business.  However, forward-thinking eco friendly companies realize that the days of plentiful oil are coming to an end and the only way to be successful in the future is to act now.  All companies are going to have to come up with changes in their resources and processes sooner or later.  By using alternatives to petroleum, green companies are able to remain competitive because their cost structures will remain steady and consistent compared to those relying on oil that are subject to its soaring and unpredictable prices.

A November 2005 article in Newsweek listed its top 10 eco friendly companies in the U.S., based on opportunity for business growth and potential impact on the environment.  It included biodiesel fuels made from vegetable oil, using cow manure to convert corn to ethanol, wind energy, solar energy, solar-panel technology, hydrogen and oxygen fuel-cell technologies and generating engine-driving heat with discarded palm oil.   Green companies are being offered incentives such as free inclusion on websites and free retooling and makeovers.  Numerous private investors are looking for socially responsible opportunities, as are environmental organizations and large corporations with specific needs within their business.

Most disposable plastic bottles that are used in the marketplace today are made from petroleum. Although much of the plastic is recyclable, the problem is that as much as 80% of the plastic bottles never make it to a recycling facility. Instead, they are thrown in the trash and sent to a landfill. The problem with petroleum based plastic is the fact that it is not biodegradable and so it just sits there poisoning the ground and air with toxic chemicals. On top of that, a lot of these non biodegradable bottles also contain a hormone disrupter called bisphenol A (BPA) which has been linked to cancer and neurological problems.

Bottles made from plant based plastic, on the other hand, are designed to break down into Earth friendly elements. Biodegradable bottles are made from organic compounds like PLA resin which is created from cornstarch or cane sugar. There are multiple benefits to these types of bottles. The process to make them uses less energy and creates fewer greenhouse gases which mean a smaller carbon footprint. The major problem with petroleum based products is that oil is a nonrenewable resource that is gone once it runs out. The compound used to make green bottles is made from sustainable materials that can be grown in perpetuity.

But the major benefit is the fact that biodegradable bottles are compostable. While it is true that they do not degrade in a landfill, they do break down fully when they are put into a compost pile. You can put the bottle into your own compost pile or find a local company that takes compostable materials. Although using bottles that degrade gracefully is one small step in the quest to get a handle on waste, it is an important one. With over 50 billion plastic bottles purchased every year in the US alone, a significant amount of good can be done by making this one small change.

To counteract this, green manufacturers have developed compostable bottles. These bottles are made from plant based plastic that has been created from a renewable resource like corn or sugarcane. The major benefit of this type of bottle is the fact that it is biodegradable. Most bottles will disintegrate in a compost facility in 45-80 days rather than up to 1000 years. Since the bottle is made from natural ingredients, it will degrade into usable material that will not pollute the planet. In fact, the bottle can actually be broken down and turned back into another green bottle.

Another benefit to compostable bottles is that it takes less energy and resources to make them. In fact, Ingeo, which is a major component in many green bottles, is produced using 50% less energy and creates 60% less greenhouse gases. Replacing regular PET plastic products with Ingeo plastic will save about 775 gallons of gas worth of greenhouse gases per 100,000 pieces exchanged. It is safe to say that one little change has the potential to impact the Earth in a major way. Will it reverse global warming? Probably not but it is a step in the right direction.

Compostable bottles can be reused a number of times before they have to be thrown away. This is particularly important since one of the reasons why so many PET bottles end up in landfills is because they cannot be reused. The risk of toxins leaching into the food item rises with each use as the bottle becomes damaged through normal wear and tear. However, green bottles do not pose such a risk which makes them perfect for use as an all day water bottle that you refill with filtered water. Eco-friendly disposable water bottles are already available in stores so check your local natural food grocers for this sustainable water product.

A corn bottle is, essentially, a bottle made from a corn based plastic. Specifically, it is made from a polylactic acid (PLA) resin which is created from cornstarch. Surprisingly, the substance has been around for a long time but has not been used in very many commercial applications because of the cost. However, with the green movement continuing to grow and people demanding sustainable products that do not contribute to the pollution problem, manufacturers have taken another look at plant based plastics and are now using it to make a number of plastic containers including bottles.

The main feature of the corn bottle is its biodegradability. These bottles can be reduced to reusable elements when put through a commercial composting facility. With over 50 billion disposable bottles being sold and used every year in the United States alone, the importance of having a bottle like this cannot be emphasized. Exchanging even 100,000 plastic bottles with plant based plastic ones is enough to take the equivalent of 19 gallons of oil worth of pollution out of the atmosphere. That is quite a positive impact for something as simple and basic as a plastic water bottle.

Although technically a corn bottle can be composted in a home compost bin, it is preferable that these bottles be sent to a commercial facility. This is mainly due to the fact that moisture and air can be controlled better in a commercial compost bin which ensures the optimal environment for returning the bottles back to their reusable parts. Despite that, these plant based plastic bottles are already finding themselves onto store shelves across the country. If you are hooked on bottled water but still want to make a green difference, look for water in bottles made from corn. The planet will thank you.