Innovation in sustainable packaging: a bottle made of plastic collected from ocean garbage

16-Sep-11

Leading innovator in premium, eco-conscious household and personal care products, Method, has unveiled its latest innovation in sustainable packaging - a bottle made of plastic collected from the North Pacific Gyre, often referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The bottle is 100% post-consumer polyethylene, 25% of which is plastic collected from the Gyre. Partnering with Envision Plastics, one of the largest recyclers in the U.S., Method was able to make bottles out of a novel new plastic material -- Ocean PCR. Together with Envision, Method has pioneered an integrated new recycling process to engineer Ocean PCR plastic that is the same quality as virgin HDPE. The process allows the plastic to be cleaned, unwanted contaminants removed completely, blended, and then remanufactured into high quality plastic. "We've created a usable bottle from ocean plastic and upcycled it into something useful that can be recycled again and again," said Adam Lowry, Method co-founder and chief greenskeeper. "Our ultimate goal is to raise awareness that the real solution to plastic pollution lies in reusing and recycling the plastic that's already on the planet." Method is focused on collecting enough usable ocean plastic to create a significant supply and turning it into bottles. The company will be collecting usable plastic from several locations with volunteer organizations on September 17, International Coastal Cleanup Day.