Oregon's Leading Bottled Water Company Becomes First to Enable Infinite Reuse of State Recyclables

CULVER, OR--(Marketwired - Apr 3, 2015) -  EARTH₂O, an environmentally conscious bottled-water company, will begin manufacturing its bottles using recycled material sourced from ORPET, a state-of-the-art recycling facility located in St. Helens, Oregon. This advancement establishes EARTH₂O as the first bottled-water company in the country to create a closed-loop manufacturing system that can infinitely reuse Oregon recycled goods.

"EARTH₂O's commitment to utilizing only recycled materials from Oregon means we are diverting significantly more waste from our state landfills," said Steve Emery, EARTH₂O president and CEO. "This is an important milestone in our long-standing effort to improve the communities where we live, work and play."

Business Oregon, the state's economic development agency, was key in establishing a partnership between EARTH₂O and ORPET to transform recycled beverage containers into reusable material that is made into single-serve BPA-free water bottles in the EARTH₂O manufacturing facility in Culver, Oregon.

ORPET sources used beverage containers from recycling centers across Oregon and then sorts, cleans and converts them into a flake material. The flake is them then transported from ORPET to Peninsula Plastics Recycling, where it is ground into resin that is molded into pellets and then shipped to EARTH₂O for use in the manufacturing of BPA-free, single-serve water bottles.

"This milestone further demonstrates how Oregon is leading sustainable business through public- private partnerships," said Senator Betsy Johnson. "The more we can come together to innovate how we do business while giving back to the community, the more prosperous we will become, today and into the future."

EARTH₂O is one of the first water companies in the United States to begin using recycled PET, the BPA-free plastic resin produced from recycled beverage containers. In 2011, EARTH₂O became one of the first companies to eliminate cardboard from packaging of single-serve water bottles, eliminating over 350,000 pounds of cardboard waste a year. This year, the company will begin manufacturing bottle caps, further advancing the sustainability of its operations.

About EARTH2O:
EARTH20 is one of the best-selling bottled spring water brands in the Western United States. The water comes from a single pristine source, Opal Springs in Central Oregon, where thick layers of volcanic basalt filter the water naturally. The aquifer sits 1,500 feet below the earth's surface, unexposed to air and surface pollutants. Throughout its operations, the company maintains an unwavering focus on sustainability, from the water source to bottling practices to packaging and delivery methods. For more information please visit https://earth2o.com.

About ORPET, INC:
ORPET, INC, formed in 2012 and owned by Merlin Plastics and Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC), is a state-of-the-art PET recycling facility in St. Helens Oregon. PET is a common acronym for polyethylene terephthalate which is the predominant material used in the construction of plastic beverage packaging for consumers. ORPET receives baled PET from seven Oregon locations operated by OBRC. These facilities are located in Portland, Astoria, Eugene, Bend, Pendleton, Medford and Klamath Falls. The baled PET is sorted, ground into flakes and washed so that it can be used in a wide variety of applications.

For more information on ORPET, please visit http://www.orpet.net. For more information on OBRC, please visit www.OBRC.com.