Lightweight, durable and versatile: plastics offer significant advantages. Due to our high standards for quality and hygiene, they remain the ideal choice. At the same time, we recognise the impact of global plastic consumption on our planet: littered beaches, vast accumulations of plastic in the oceans, and growing mountains of waste. That’s why we are turning to new, more sustainable materials. Discover more here.
Our goal: 30% less virgin plastic by 2025
How can we reduce conventional plastic in our products and packaging? This is a question we’ve been actively addressing since the early 2020s. We’ve set ourselves an ambitious goal: by 2025, we aim to use 30% less virgin plastic. This means, for example, replacing conventional plastics with alternatives made from renewable resources.
Among other things, these alternative materials must meet the following requirements:
- Meet our high standards for quality and hygiene
- Help reduce CO₂ emissions
- Be highly recyclable
- Remain affordable for everyone
The BRITA Style eco water filter jug uses 60% bio‑based plastic for the jug, funnel, lid and fill‑flap (mass balance approach).
Renewable resources complement conventional plastics
One material that has proven particularly suitable is known as bio‑based plastic. It is made wholly or partly from renewable raw materials such as plants. In many cases, the differences from conventional fossil‑based plastics can only be identified in a laboratory through scientific analysis of their chemical structure.
The bio‑based plastic we use is also recyclable and just as durable as plastics made from fossil resources. Another important point for us: we want to ensure that the production of our bio‑based plastics does not compete with land used for food production. That’s why we commit to using only residual materials from other processes as the feedstock for our bio‑based plastics.
Here are two examples of where these materials come from:
- The bio‑based share in our Style eco water filter jug is partly derived from tall oil, a by‑product of wood processing. In our case, it comes from Scandinavian forestry.
- The bio‑based share in our MAXTRA PRO water filters is partly derived from the refining of plant oils. These are no longer suitable for consumption and are collected from the food industry and the catering sector.
Globally recognised certification for our bio‑based plastics
Because the origin of the materials used in our products and packaging matters to us, we have chosen to have our plant‑based plastics certified – through the globally recognised ISCC sustainability certification.
This follows the mass balance approach, which ensures that the bio‑based plastic is tracked throughout the entire production process, enabling a fully traceable and circular material flow.
Is bio‑based plastic compostable?
Bio‑based plastics are often referred to as “bioplastics”. While this isn’t incorrect, we prefer not to use the term, as it covers a wide range of different materials and can therefore be misleading. For example, there is often uncertainty about whether a bioplastic is biodegradable or compostable — in most cases, it is not. Claims such as “biodegradable” or “compostable” (e.g. for organic waste bags or plastic bottles) should therefore be treated with caution.
We would not describe our products made from bio‑based plastic as biodegradable. However, they can be recycled very effectively. Our water filter cartridges are almost entirely recyclable — you can find out how this works here.
Sustainable on the go: our packaging
Packaging waste is a global challenge, and we are committed to reducing our CO₂ footprint here as well. This is no small task, as packaging has one essential purpose: to protect our products from contamination and damage during transport. After all, you trust us with your drinking water.
That’s why we are developing solutions to use less packaging overall – and to make it more sustainable. These include, for example:
- Plastic-free packaging: Where this is not yet possible, we reduce plastic use as much as we can and ensure it can be easily recycled.
- Ship in Own Container (SIOC) in e commerce: Product packaging designed to double as a shipping box.
In this way, we are already saving a significant amount of resources today.