UK-based beverage importer Red Star Brands has expanded its beverage portfolio with the launch of sustainable JUST Water drink bottle.
Image: Red Star Brands’ JUST Water drink in recyclable packaging. Photo: courtesy of Red Star Brands.
The JUST Water, which is packaged in a paper-based carton with a bio-plastic cap, is made available in Boots stores in the UK and marks the first step in the firm’s major global expansion plan.
About 82% of the materials used in the package are sourced from renewable plant-based resources and are made mostly of paper from FSC managed forests.
The paper carton is made with material which is sourced from sustainably managed forests, while the bio-plastic cap and shoulder of the package are made from sugarcane.
The use of renewable material makes the packaging recyclable in nine out of ten UK communities where roadside or bottle bank collecting is available.
The JUST, which is the brainchild of Hollywood actor Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith, contains water which is sustainably sourced from the firm’s UK bottling partner in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
Bottled in the UK, the JUST Water drink is made available in Boots stores in the UK.
Red Star Brands managing director Clark McIlroy said: “Plastic usage has become a hot topic in recent years, and with 6 in 10 UK shoppers looking to minimise their own plastic consumption, there is a definite demand for ethical brands like JUST Water to enter the UK market and disrupt consumer habits.
“At the end of 2017 the soft drinks industry had a watershed moment when the Water category overtook Cola for the first time; this trend is continuing to boom but more and more consumers are also demanding brands that enable them to make a difference, and Just Water is very well placed to appeal to those ethical consumers in the UK.
“JUST is already having a positive impact on the environment and we are certain it will continue to drive change here in the UK.”
The launch comes in response to increased demand from the consumers for sustainable packaged products to reduce plastic pollution.