Responsible business – Evian

In some ways, Evian’s new environmental aspirations are the most astonishing so far this year.

Last autumn, Danone publicised plans to make Evian a global carbon neutral brand by 2020.

I visited its spectacular new production facilities earlier this month and am delighted the wider industry will have a chance to make a tour during our next Global Bottled Water Congress from 22nd to 24th October.

What took my breath away in last week’s announcement was the plan to make all plastic bottles from 100% recycled content by 2025. That’s 100% recycled and 100% recyclable again – the circular economy’s ultimate goal.

This will not be easy to achieve. It requires far higher collection and recycling as well as more consistent quality than is possible today. It may also be significantly more expensive.

Currently, Evian PET bottles typically have 25% recycled content and this level is quite common for soft drinks and water producers, even if rarely publicised.