CG Roxane LLC, which owns the Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring bottled water brand, has opened its second PET recycling facility.
The plant in Benton, Tenn., is part of the company's plan to use at least 50 percent recycled content in its bottles sold in the United States. The company's first recycling plant, in San Bernardino, Calif., opened in 2019.
The Novato, Calif.-based company announced the milestone on June 20, noting that it is "already far ahead" of California's plastic minimum-content standards mandate, which requires beverage companies to use a minimum of 25 percent post-consumer content by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030.
The 60,000-square-foot Tennessee plant is located in the company's existing Benton factory. According to CG Roxane, using 50 percent post-consumer PET will save nearly 11,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
CG Roxane first announced plans for the Benton plant in 2021.
The company also announced a new marketing campaign dubbed Through the Loop, aimed at educating consumers about recycling.
In a news release, the company highlighted a May 2023 study conducted on its behalf that showed that 32 percent of Americans are unable to correctly identify the universal recycling symbol and 47 percent feel unaware of the recycling initiatives and laws in their city or state.
In addition, 66 percent do not know what post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic means.
"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," said Charles Calvat, CG Roxane director of corporate social responsibility.