Region's first plant-based water bottle launched

Agthia Group, a regional food and beverages company, today announced the launch of the 'Al Ain Plant Bottle', the region's first plant-based water bottle.
The packaging of the new bottle is environmentally friendly and made from 100 per cent plant-based sources, including the cap.
The announcement was made during a press conference held on the sidelines of Gulfood 2020 during the UAE Innovation Month, in the presence of Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment.
The newly-launched water bottle serves a growing consumer move towards sustainability, as it is biodegradable and compostable, within 80 days. This revolutionary innovation is set to improve the environmental footprint from a CO2 perspective, utilising plant sources, which are converted into a durable 100 percent plant-based resin used to create the Al Ain Plant Bottle.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi said, "We are proud of the role Emirati private businesses play in supporting our nationwide drive towards sustainability. We hope to see more businesses across all sectors with the same level of awareness and commitment to reducing their footprint to ensure that the UAE remains sustainable well into the future."
"Innovation is at the heart of the country's transition to the circular economy. The launch of Al Ain's plant-based water bottle and Agthia's other sustainability initiatives during the UAE Innovation Month is a prime example of how innovation can go a long way in driving environmental sustainability. I applaud Agthia for its strong commitment to integrating sustainability as a core value across its operations," the minister added.
The science behind the Al Ain Plant Bottle is based on converting plants into special polymer materials obtained from the fermentation of sugars contained in plants and used to create this material, without using a single drop of petroleum or its by-products.
The plant-based bottle is being developed at Agthia's new Packaging Technology Centre in Al Ain, under the strictest of quality standards and under manufacturing conditions that consume 60 percent less energy during the entire process. According to Agthia, the bottle has the best-in-class CO2 environmental footprint, with more than 50 percent savings on non-renewable energy attained.