Nestle Waters North America Inc., Greenwich, Conn., introduced the Eco-Shape half-liter single-serve bottle. The bottle represents the latest step in the company’s commitment to reduce plastic consumption across its brand portfolio.

“The second-generation Eco-Shape bottle is our gold standard for lightweighting, and is among the lightest half-liter plastic bottles available in the marketplace today,” said Andrius Dapkus, director of innovations and renovations at Nestle Waters North America, in a statement. “We’ve reduced our use of plastic resin by 80 million pounds annually; while also making sure the bottle is durable and appealing for consumers.”

The half-liter bottle is an updated version of the 2007 Eco-Shape bottle, and is among the first branded half-liter bottles in the industry to be lightweighted, the company said. The new bottle weighs 9.3 grams on average, and contains 60 percent less plastic than the company’s original half-liter PET bottle, which was first introduced in the mid-1990s.

The lightweight Eco-Shape half-liter bottles will debut in the company’s Poland Spring, Arrowhead and Nestle Pure Life brands. In the spring, Nestle Waters will extend the lighter Eco-Shape bottle to its remaining half-liter regional spring water brands, such as Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka and Zephyrhills. Next year also will see the introduction of lightweight bottles in additional product sizes, the company said. 

In addition to the lighter Eco-Shape bottle, the package also features a lightweight cap that weighs only 1 gram. The company also reviewed its secondary packaging materials and eliminated the cardboard side walls from the majority of its 24-packs of bottled water, which are the company’s No. 1 seller, it said.

Nestle Waters’ introduction of the Eco-Shape bottle in April 2007 has reduced its carbon emission equivalents by more than 356,000 tons, the company reported. In addition, the company also has seven bottling facilities that meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standards, introduced hydrogen fuel cell forklifts and hybrid trucks, and partnered with non-profits, legislators and communities aiming to improve plastic bottle recycling rates in America to 60 percent by 2018. The company also is developing a next-generation bottle made entirely from recycled materials or renewable resources by 2020, it said.