Arisu Bottled Water Made 100% from 'Recycled PET'... A Step Ahead of the EU

From 30% Last Year to 100% Recycled Plastic This Year
Ahead of EU's '30% Recycled Material by 2030' Goal
650,000 Bottles to Be Produced This Year... Recycling 16 Tons of Waste Plastic

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will release its flagship product, Arisu (bottled water), in PET bottles made from 100% recycled plastic. This is another innovative attempt following last year's domestic first use of 30% recycled plastic in bottled Arisu. The use of such recycled materials surpasses the targets set by the European Union (EU) and global companies.

On the 4th, Seoul announced that a total of 650,000 bottles of bottled Arisu (450,000 bottles of 350ml and 200,000 bottles of 2ℓ) scheduled for production after June will be made from recycled plastic. This will recycle about 16 tons of waste plastic and is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 17 tons CO2eq compared to new plastic.

Seoul has continuously attempted to reduce plastic through bottled Arisu. To reduce the use of disposable PET bottles, since 2019, bottled Arisu has been supplied in minimal quantities only in essential situations such as disasters or water outages. Additionally, starting with reducing the plastic used in PET bottle production from 19g to 14g, a 26.3% reduction, and to improve user convenience and effective recycling, since 2020, it has been released without labels. A method of engraving using eco-friendly lasers instead of chemical dyes (ink) for printing manufacturing dates has also been introduced.

This attempt by Seoul is also a globally advanced plastic reduction policy. The Ministry of Environment and the EU have set a target of 30% recycled material use by 2030, while global companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi aim for 50% by 2030. In line with this, the Seoul Arisu Headquarters is preparing to submit the 100% recycled plastic bottled Arisu to the 'RECOUP Awards' held in the UK this year. This event, hosted by the non-profit organization RECOUP, recognizes institutions leading the circular plastic value chain.

Han Young-hee, head of the Seoul Arisu Headquarters, said, "The production of bottled Arisu using 100% recycled materials is a model case of a circular economy far ahead of the government and world cities and is part of a continuous effort toward a resource-circulating society." She added, "We will continue to actively promote recycling measures to reduce plastic and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050."

Meanwhile, Seoul is also considering introducing valves, PE pipes, PVC pipes, and other facilities using recycled materials not only for bottled Arisu but also for water supply facilities. This is a choice to more actively realize a circular economy.