Ice River Springs' BPA-Free, Green-Tint Bottles Hit Shelves

By Alec Italiano, contributing writer

One of North America’s largest bottled water producers is now offering its product in 100 percent recycled, BPA-free PET bottles

Shelburne, ON-based Ice River Springs has created an innovative method to produce a BPA-free green-tinted polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle. The family-owned company is a leader in sustainable practices, laying the groundwork for long-term growth with its closed-loop recycling operation. Ice River Springs sorts and purifies bottles recycled by Ontario residents, turning their waste into certified food-grade plastic. The water bottling company is the first of its kind to offer a 100 percent recyclable packaging product from local municipal recycling programs in North America.

It is important to point out that these recycled bottles that Ice River Springs is producing are BPA-free, providing an alternative to polycarbonate bottles. BPA is a chemical spray that lines the inside of containers for the purpose of extending the product’s shelf life. The chemical has come under fire in recent years as a human carcinogen and has been banned in some products, such as baby feeding bottles.

While a shift to BPA-free bottles may seem like a routine practice for bottling companies, Ice River Springs holds a competitive edge by using green-tinted bottles. According to Ice River Springs, very few companies were using green tinted plastic bottles for reuse and, as a result, drastically filling up landfills. A recent research poll showed that 82 percent of 849 bottle users say that a 100 percent recycled bottle with a green tint specifically would make that brand more appealing.

Ice River Springs, founded in 1995, fills its bottles from a water source near High River in Alberta, Canada.  The source of the water will not change, just the container, bringing fresh mountain water to the consumer. The green bottled product will first be available in major retail stores starting in Western Canada under the Arrowhead brand name with plans to expand distribution from there.

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