Sustainability and the environmental movement has gripped much of the planet and as a business we have to play our part. So we have decided to phase out our production of bidons (water bottles) made from oil-based plastic and change to something more sustainable – Green Plastic made from sugar cane – known as the Bio-Bottle.
Our challenges was to find a sustainable alternative to traditional bottles that offered the same quality and durability but was made from a renewable source that didn’t cost a fortune. Having looked at a number of options, we decided on Braskem® Green Plastic, a renewable raw material derived from sugar cane ethanol. During their growth cycle, the raw materials used to produce Green Polyethylene absorb and repair CO2 in the atmosphere, reducing greenhouse gases and therefore the carbon footprint of our bottles. They are fully recyclable under plastic code 4, dishwasher safe and BPA free. The bidons cost around €0.50 more than oil-based plastic and we are realistic enough to know that this will lose us some potential clients, but we think that this is a fair price to pay for sustainability. The great thing about this sugar-cane plastic is that the quality of the bidons it produces is very high – there is no smell, it is soft to the touch and easily squeezable without being fragile and it takes print extremely well.
There are some options on the market for compostable bidons, but we did not want to go down that route as compostable plastic still takes many years to break down and is not as long lasting as green polythene. We wanted a product with a better shelf-life than this. Our bottles are not yet 100% renewable material yet, as we still have to use some synthetic binder to give the durability we require, but this accounts to less than 5% of the total material used and we though that this was the best compromise to make. So 95% is completely renewable, which is not a bad place to start from.
Rescuing our planet from the perils of global warming and plastic pollution is all about each one of us making small decisions that on their own would make a minor impact, but put together can make a massive change. Here at Carvalho Custom and through our sister company, Belo Bidon, we are offering you the opportunity to make your contribution – you have to pay a little more, but you will leave the planet slightly better off with every bidon you buy.
Check out our prices for our environmentally friendly bidons here. Our prices include delivery to all EU countries and the UK (although there is now a Brexit charge to clear customs unfortunately) and our minimums are 100 pieces. At the moment we only have 3 models available (600ml, 750ml and 1000ml) and based on an order of 300 units you will pay €2.23, €2.35 and €2.54 each respectively (plus VAT).
