JEDDAH – In an effort to drastically reduce local plastic use, PepsiCo has developed a new and lighter environmentally friendly bottle for its Aquafina bottled water featuring a more contemporary design. At a press conference and media tour of its bottling plant in Riyadh, Bassam Al-Sadik, Franchise Director - Saudi Arabia at PepsiCo GCC BU, said: "The reduction in plastic use will save an estimated 1,146 tons of plastic for bottles and 107 tons of plastic for caps, annually across Saudi Arabia, resulting in a lighter bottle for a cleaner environment." He further said changing the design would allow PepsiCo to take advantage of the latest technology in new cap and preform options, with the new format opening doors for future lighter weight versions. In addition, the new bottle will reduce annual usage of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin by 2500 metric tons and weight reduction of 10 percent on 1.5-liter bottles, 20 percent on 330- milliliter bottles and 30 percent on 600-milliliter bottles. As well, the updated design and weight reduction is easier to crush, thus reducing its impact on local and regional landfills. The Hydro 7 process is a highly sophisticated technique for water purification involving several steps to ensure an end product of Aquafina that is safe, pure and clean. The process begins with a preliminary filtration step to separate microscopic particles in the water using filtration techniques The water then moves on to active carbon separation whereby trace elements that affect water taste are removed. Then the water passes through a high intensity light (UV light) to eliminate any organic matter and microorganisms present in the water. This takes the water through a reverse osmosis process which removes 98 percent of total dissolved solids by pressure and hyper filter. From here the water passes onto a polishing filter which makes the water crystal clear. Next some salts are added back to the water and then it will pass through the final filtration step. The final step of the Hydro 7 process is ozonation, which involves water passing through purified oxygen rich air through a generating cell. This is the final sterilization step.
