Reusable water bottles with interchangeable artwork cards appeal to young consumers

Aiming to encourage young people to drink more water, Berry Global and Aquafigure have released a new line of reusable water bottles that can be customized at will with interchangeable 3D artwork cards.

Each container is 330ml in size and made from BPA-free Tritan, described as a widely recyclable, food-approved co-polyester from Eastman that can, apparently, endure ‘hundreds’ of dishwasher cycles. Its cap is made from mono-material polypropylene and is designed to provide a tight seal while remaining easy for children to open.

To keep up with changing trends and tastes, consumers can insert and swap cards to customize the bottle’s design without needing to replace the whole container. Reportedly, precise internal measurements help the bottle cards support themselves and remain in place, no matter what angle the bottle is held or placed at.

Over 50 different cards are currently available. Existing designs depict The Smurfs, elite football clubs – and, in a limited-edition set, striker and Aquafigure ambassador Erling Haaland.

Intended to serve as a ‘bottle for life’ solution, the bottles and caps are manufactured at Berry’s Etten Leur and Market Rasen plants.

“Through our innovation expertise and technical resources, we are delivering cutting-edge solutions that help our customers bring exciting, sustainable concepts to market,” said Joe Horton, Sales and Marketing director for Berry Agile Solutions. “Aquafigure’s commitment to a reusable bottle highlights the endless possibilities to optimize the consumer experience while advancing a circular economy.”

“It has been amazingly helpful to have a single supplier like Berry to partner with us in the development of the bottle and the cap,” added Ørjan Asbjørnsen, founder and managing director of Aquafigure. “Berry Agile Solutions provided us with full-service, expert support from day one. And with the knowledge, expertise, and reach of a global market leader, we can be reassured of the capability to scale up as Aquafigure enters new territories.”

Other refillable water bottle solutions came to light earlier this year. Bottle Up reported that it was selling the first pre-filled, plant-based, fully reusable water bottle in the UK, with its sugar cane structure set to offer a renewable and recyclable alternative to single-use plastic solutions.

Petainer and Oonly also sought to comply with Hungary’s deposit return scheme with their first refillable PET bottle for mineral water on the Hungarian market. The Oonly bottle is said to weigh 106g and uses around 4.24g of material per cycle compared to approximately 800g used by glass; its light weight is also believed to enable ‘vigorous’ washing between cycles.

Here at Packaging Europe, we sought to learn more about young people’s water consumption habits by collaborating with a local youth football team. The players told us that they generally brought water to the pitch in a single-use plastic bottle or tap water in a reusable plastic container; but also that they believed reusable metal bottles to be the most sustainable solution, followed by reusable plastic.

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