(Photo Credit: Danone)Danone brand Evian is piloting water bottles made from 100% recycled PET (rPET) at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Last year the brand used 25% in bottles for the famed event, the Standard reported.
During the two-week tennis event, approximately 420,000 bottles get used, the Standard’s Jonathan Prynn wrote. “This year’s pilot scheme is the first time that Evian have trialed the use of this type of bottle on a large scale anywhere in the world,” he added.
Wimbledon sponsor Evian’s shift to 75cl water bottles made without any virgin plastic is part of a larger goal set last year to reach 100% recycled plastic for all of the brand’s water bottles by 2025. In partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Evian plans to move from a linear model to a circular one. Loop Industries, which developed technology that enables a continuous loop for recycling at scale, is also working with the brand.
For the tennis tournament, Danone Waters removed branding from the water bottles, replacing it with “I recycle” so that prominent tennis players become recycling ambassadors, said James Pearson, managing director of Danone Waters UK & Ireland, Prynn reported.
Wimbledon organizers have stepped up efforts around reducing waste at the tournament after criticism over rubbish-strewn grounds in 2018, the Scotsman reported. Measures include:
“To help maximize recycling, we have introduced new, more clearly branded bins to help visitors dispose of their waste correctly and avoid contamination of recyclable materials,” Wimbledon organizers said. “In addition, we are conducting a trial of new drinks cup recycling bins in the northern end of the grounds.”
A team onsite hand sorts certain waste, ensuring that materials get separated accurately, the organizers added. Non-recyclable waste goes into producing electricity for the National Grid.
In June, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) committed to the United Nations’ Sports for Climate Action Framework, which is part of the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“We will play our part not just through our actions on our grounds, both year-round and during the championships, but in the way we collaborate with our partners, and the way we can use the reach of Wimbledon to help support this important cause,” said Richard Lewis, chief executive of the AELTC.
