Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water opens 2nd PET recycling plant

Novato, California-based CG Roxane LLC, the privately held, family-owned and operated maker of Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water, has opened its second recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) bottling plant in Benton, Tennessee, marking its shift to producing bottles made with no less than 50 percent rPET content nationwide.

The company opened its first such plant in San Bernardino, California, in 2020, allowing CG Roxane to uphold its commitment to produce bottles using a minimum of 50 percent rPET at its West Coast plants.

At its rPET facilities, CG Roxane accepts recycled PET flakes from various recycling partners, a spokesman for the company says. “We then reprocess the flakes into rPET pellets, performing further purity checks on every batch, and then ship them to our bottling plants to create new bottles for Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water.”

CG Roxane’s goal is to process 39.2 million pounds of PET flakes into recycled PET pellets this year between its two plants, the spokesman says.

Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water bottles are manufactured in-house across seven plants nationwide and filled at a nearby spring source, he says, therefore the company has located its rPET facilities at an optimal proximity from these sites to limit carbon emissions related to transportation. “Benton’s output and location allow us to supply our plants extending eastward and achieve a minimum of 50 percent rPET content in our Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water nationwide,” he adds.

Photo courtesy of CG Roxane

CG Roxane’s Tennessee site is equipped with a Vacunite line from Austria-based Erema that is capable of producing 1,650 kilograms, or more than 3,600 pounds, of rPET pellets per hour, according to CG Roxane’s spokesman, as well as supporting auxiliary equipment. It is modeled after the company’s California plant.

“Our bottling and rPET plants work in tandem—all rPET pellets are mixed with virgin PET in-house and turned into preforms that become Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water bottles made with a minimum of 50 percent rPET content,” he adds.

Consumer education

Additionally, CG Roxane has launched an integrated campaign called “Through the Loop” that educates consumers on the importance of their role in the recycling ecosystem for PET bottles.

Through the Loop aims to educate consumers about the recycling process so they feel inspired to participate, according to the company, ensuring their bottles make it into the recycling bin. The campaign’s creative focuses on a mother-daughter pair’s education around the manufacturing process behind the making of Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water bottles. The 2023 campaign will be supported with an integrated media strategy, tapping into broadcast news, cable networks, connected TV, streaming audio and shoppable mobile media.

According to a May 2023 study conducted on behalf of CG Roxane, more education is necessary when it comes to Americans understanding their role in the recycling process given 32 percent are unable to correctly identify the universal recycling symbol signifying a product is able to be recycled, while 47 percent feel unaware of local recycling initiatives and laws. Beyond this, 66 percent of respondents indicated they do not know what postconsumer recycled (PCR) plastic means.

“Interestingly, after learning that postconsumer recycled plastic is plastic produced from postconsumer recycled resin used to create new packaging to reduce impact on landfill waste, 56 percent of respondents noted purchasing PCR plastic products to be important to them,” Charles Calvat, CG Roxane director of corporate social responsibility, says. “Despite CG Roxane’s commitment to promoting sustainability and reducing our environmental footprint through the likes of our recycled PET program, the survey reveals we have more work to do when it comes to education as over half of American consumers are unaware of the initiatives companies and businesses are working on when it comes to PCR plastic.”

Photo courtesy of CG Roxane

The spokesman adds that the campaign is designed to restore trust in the recycling system by educating consumers on what CG Roxane is doing and how their participation helps to make an impact.

CG Roxane says it already is far ahead of California’s plastic minimum content standards (AB 793) that mandate beverage companies reach a minimum PCR content of 25 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030. By producing Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water bottles with no less than 50 percent recycled PET, it will save nearly 33,000 metric tons of CO₂ per year, or the equivalent of removing 7,343 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the roads, the company says.

 "We believe that sustainability is a collective effort, with all actions small and large making a difference," Calvat says. "We hope that our educational campaign will inspire others to join us by taking small steps every day to increase their participation in the recycling ecosystem.” 

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