In 1968, after many years’ research, Vittel introduced the first PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic bottle in France. This innovation, which provided consumers with lighter packaging material, contributed substantially to the development of still natural mineral waters at Vittel.

Twenty-five years later, the introduction of another plastic material, PET (polyethylene terephtalate), with its superior mechanical resistance, further revolutionized the bottled waters industry. In 1992, Vittel and Valvert began using PET bottles in France and Belgium, with exports to the USA and Japan. It is important to keep in mind that natural mineral waters in Europe, by definition, must be bottled at source.

By the end of 1997, the entire still natural mineral waters production of Perrier Vittel, which in the meantime had joined the Nestlé Group, was being bottled in PET bottles. The change from PVC to PET meant a significant reduction in bottle weight, along with better transparency and resistance. For example, a 1.5 liter bottle made from PVC weighed 45 g; the same bottle made with PET weighed 37 g.

The quest for continued improvements did not stop there. Once the transition from PVC to PET had been completed, Perrier Vittel set out to optimize bottle manufacturing and design technologies and the PET characteristics. Sixteen new PET bottle types were introduced in 1997, 32 in 1998 and 53 in 1999. The innovative spirit in which the research was carried out resulted in even further reductions in bottle weight. Today, a 1.5 liter PET bottle weighs between 28 and 33 g depending on the complexity of its shape. Compared with 1996, this represents a weight reduction of 17%.

Overall, current 1.5 litre PET bottles now weigh 15 g less than the original 45 g PVC bottle of the same size. Expressed another way, 90 grams of PVC previously produced two bottles. Now the same quantity of PET yields three bottles of equivalent capacity, which represents an overall reduction of more than 33%.

Additionally, the change from PVC to PET has resulted in the elimination of substances harmful to the environment during incineration, particularly organochlorine compound emissions from PVC.

While ensuring a consistent high level of protection for bottled waters and guaranteeing their original purity, the change from PVC to PET, and the successive improvements, has allowed Perrier-Vittel to:

• offer consumers more attractively packaged products
• substantially improve the manufacturing process for plastic bottles
• reduce the environmental impact of packaging materials in accordance with the principles of The Nestlé Policy on the Environment.

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