New water bottle is made from plants

With gas prices hovering near $4/gal, families across the country are making simple choices to reduce their oil consumption. They are looking for alternatives to products and packaging made from crude oil, such as traditional plastic water bottles, and choosing new packaging options that are more environmentally friendly. A new choice is Primo water, a single-serve bottled water in bottles made from corn, not crude oil. Primo gives consumers a sustainable bottled-water option without having to give up portability, convenience, affordability and refreshing taste during the hot summer months.

The Primo bottle is different from virtually all other water bottles sold in the U.S., because it is made from a plant-based polylactic acid plastic from NatureWorks LLC ( www.natureworksllc.com ) that is marketed under the brand name Ingeo™, a 100-percent renewable resource grown on American soil. Traditional plastic water bottles are created from PET, a petroleum-based plastic derived from crude oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels take millions of years to regenerate. In fact, according to NatureWorks, if all PET beverage bottles made from crude oil sold today in the U.S. were instead made from Ingeo plastic, Americans would save the equivalent of 1 billion gallons of gasoline a year. Manufacturing the Primo bottle is also more environmentally efficient, as it requires 65 percent less fossil resources and emits 80 to 90 percent less greenhouse gases than a traditional petroleum-based bottle, according to NatureWorks. Reverse Osmosis System/Ro System

Retailers from coast to coast are rolling out Primo in their stores. Primo is currently available in Target, Albertsons, Publix, Fred Meyer and many other stores. Not only is Primo available in some of the country's top grocery and mass retail store chains, it also is packaged in a sleek, redesigned bottle with a new label and a patented oval design for better handling, aimed at for busy on-the-go consumers.

“Primo water bottles made from plants give consumers an easy way to avoid using packaging made from depleting natural oil resources, which helps reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” says Dave Burke, president and COO of Primo To Go. “Choosing a non-oil-based bottle like Primo is a simple way for Americans to make a small change in their lifestyle, but a big difference for the environment.”

“Primo is helping consumers live a better life by choosing great tasting, affordable water in a convenient, more environmentally-friendly bottle,” says Billy Prim, chairman and CEO of Primo Water Corp. “We listened to consumer feedback about our test bottle and redesigned the shape to give shoppers the look and feel they want in a sleek, ergonomic package that fits their busy lifestyles. We reduced our package weight, cap size and label, all in response to consumer demand to keep our packaging as environmentally friendly as possible.” According to NatureWorks, 3 out of 4 consumers in blind taste tests prefer Primo over the leading spring water and 4 out of 5 prefer Primo over tap water. To learn more, visit www.primowater.com .

Primo is sold in a multi-pack of eighteen 16.9-oz. bottles at a suggested retail price of $4.99.

Primo Water Corp., a privately-held company based in Winston-Salem, NC, manufactures, markets, and services the mineral-enriched bottled water. Three product lines make up the company's portfolio. The first, introduced in June of 2005, offers 3- and 5-gal Zero Waste bottles and an exchange program that rewards consumers for reusing their bottles for refills. The second, launched in April 2008, is a new line of Energy Star-rated and stylish water coolers. And the third is Primo single-serve bottled water.

NatureWorks LLC , 877/423-7659. www.natureworksllc.com .

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